The exit of Democratic front-runner Lt. Gov. John Cherry from Michigan’s gubernatorial race three weeks ago left the Democratic candidacy wide open, and the position still is sparking interest among party leaders.
Two more Democrats, former Michigan Treasurer Bob Bowman and former Genesee County Treasurer Dan Kildee, might join the Democratic race, and another, U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, exited the race Tuesday.
Stupak cited the “compressed time frame and fundraising requirements” for his exit.
“I believe I can best serve the people of Michigan in the U.S. Congress,” he said in a statement. “It is difficult for me to commit to pursuing a statewide gubernatorial campaign at this critical time.”
State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, D-Salem Township, is the only Democratic candidate that has formally announced a campaign.
Bowman’s former spokesman Robert Kolt, a media consultant at Kolt Communications, said Bowman wants to run. Bowman, who works in New York City as president and CEO of Major League Baseball Advanced Media, currently is in Michigan, Kolt said.
“He is very serious at looking at all of his options and considering whether or not he should be a formal candidate,” Kolt said. “He is going through that process now meeting with a number of party leaders in Michigan.”
Bowman was state treasurer from 1983-1990 under Democratic Gov. James Blanchard. The 54-year-old currently sits on the Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees. He owns a home in Harbor Springs and serves as president of the Michigan Education Trust, a state college tuition program.
“He’s always been committed to Michigan,” he said. “The question for him was when was the right time to do this, and it looks like this will be as good as a time as he will ever get.”
Bowman did not return calls Tuesday.
Kildee helped create the Genesee County Land Bank in 2002. He recently resigned from that post to lead The Center for Community Progress Inc., a national land policy nonprofit.
Kildee didn’t return phone calls Tuesday, but he said in an e-mail he still is unsure about his candidacy.
“I am thinking about running but have not yet determined if the situation is such that I will get in,” he said.
Craig Ruff, senior policy fellow at Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants, said it’s unusual to have this many gubernatorial candidates unsure about their candidacy at this stage.
“For most candidates, January is a very late start, especially to raise the amount of money they need to raise,” he said. “There are certainly advantages to coming in earlier.”
Other potential Democratic candidates include House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township; Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero; MSU Trustee George Perles; former Flint Mayor Don Williamson; and Detroit businesswoman Denise Ilitch.
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