After Gov. Jim Doyle announced he would not seek re-election last week, many were left wondering if his retirement would lessen the political competitiveness of Wisconsin's 2010 gubernatorial election.
Some speculated Doyle's choice reflected a belief that he wouldn't win a third term, though Doyle attributed his decision to his belief that a governor should inherently be limited to two terms.
""This is the norm in this country. The president and most governors are limited to two terms by law … it has largely been Wisconsin's practice over its history,"" he said at his announcement.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a candidate for the Republican nomination, said he was surprised not only by Doyle's decision, but also his choice to finish his term.
""I think it was clear that this was a guy who was raising money and was doing all the likely things to run for re-election … but, it was a combination of negative poll numbers combined with a bad budget that people were just starting to feel the impact of and the final straw was probably our [campaign's] fundraising,"" Walker said.
Charles Franklin, a UW-Madison professor of political science, said a re-election bid for Doyle looked harder for 2010 than in 2006.
Doyle's announcement came in the wake of the completion of the 2009-'11 biennial budget that promised to close a record $6.6 billion deficit, the recent resignation of Doyle's chief legal counsel after it was discovered she was not licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, and a 34 percent approval rating.
""I think the situation economically gives the Republicans an opportunity to rebound … [but] I think the flip side is that a Democrat other than Doyle can run and simultaneously disagree with some of Doyle's policies,"" Franklin said.
Walker said Doyle's decision could give Republicans ground in the 2010 election.
""Until these candidates on the Democratic side stand up and disavow the policy of Governor Jim Doyle, they are essentially the same policies without the name identification,"" he said.
Mike Tate, state chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, disagreed with negative sentiments regarding Doyle's decision. He said it is always difficult to lead during a tough economic climate but did not believe this affected Doyle's decision.
""I don't think that had anything to do with his decision not to run, in fact I know it didn't,"" Tate said. ""The governor was not scared of the fact that Wisconsin was in challenging times, and I think he is excited that he can spend the next sixteen months focused solely on getting Wisconsin's economy back on track.""
Tate said the way Doyle handled large budget deficits, the health-care framework he established and his early opposition to the same-sex marriage ban showed strong leadership. He emphasized Doyle did not always do ""what was politically convenient"" and said Doyle was willing to take a strong stance on controversial issues.
He said he was disappointed Doyle would not run for a third term but said he expects an exciting governor's race in 2010.
""If [Doyle] would have run we would have had a strong leader at the top of the ticket, but with that said, we are in a great place to elect another Democratic candidate,"" he said.
Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton has already announced her candidacy for governor. Other potential candidates include Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.
