Top Dems in two neighbor states won’t run

Photos: wisconsin.gov, iowapolitics.com

Minnesota is awash in announced candidates for governor in next year’s election, with more in the wings. But neighboring states aren’t so flush. Just this morning two top Dems — Christie Vilsack in Iowa and Barbara Lawton in Wisconsin – have said they won’t run in high-profile 2010 races.

Vilsack, Iowa’s former first lady, won’t challenge five-term Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. In a statement, she told supporters that running would require “more than the confidence that I have the right experience, the necessary support and the resources to be successful” — she’d have to believe it was the right job at the right time, too.

Lawton is Wisconsin’s Democratic lieutenant governor under Gov. Jim Doyle, who is retiring. She cited “very personal reasons” for not entering the race to replace Doyle, mentioning her family as her top priority. Like Vilsack, Lawton’s statement brims with “commitment” and “confidence” as she retreats from contention next year.