While Washington has been fixated on the retirement announcements by Democratic Sens. Chris Dodd and Byron Dorgan, another Democrat said that he would not run for re-election – Gov. Bill Ritter.
Ritter’s decision is as unexpected as Dorgan’s. His campaign has been up and running and he’s been raising money for the race. Ritter cited the hardship of balancing family with the 24/7 job of being Governor as his reason for not running for a second term. While it is certainly a very valid reason not to run, Ritter was also facing a very tough re-election campaign.
With the state’s economy suffering, Ritter has had to impose higher fees on a number of services like vehicle registration and has instituted furloughs for state employees. Voters have been especially upset about the new fees and talk that deep cuts in education are looming on the horizon. In addition, Ritter angered labor unions early in his term and those wounds remain fresh. The result is that the Governor’s poll numbers have been sinking in recent months and Ritter’s re-election was in doubt.
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