U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., announced Thursday he will not run for governor in the 2010 election.
Kind demonstrated interest in a gubernatorial run earlier this year but decided against it, citing a need to focus on health-care reform, which is currently being debated in Congress.
""I am going to stay focused on the health-care reform [bill] pending so we can deliver affordable, quality, accessible health care to all Wisconsin families,"" Kind said.
Kind said party politics and maintaining a Democratic seat in Congress had nothing to do with his decision to opt out of the governor's race.
Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton is currently the only Democratic candidate to have announced a bid for the election. Lawton said she looks forward to working toward health-care insurance reform with Kind.
""Congressman Ron Kind is a tremendous voice for western Wisconsin families as a member of Congress,"" Lawton said in a statement. ""I respect that service as well as the decision he announced today.""
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a close friend of Kind, has shown interest in a possible bid. Despite speculation that Kind's announcement would sway Barrett's decision on whether to enter the race, Kind said Barrett will make the decision on his own.
""The decisions that I, and eventually Tom, will have to make are really independent of each other,"" Kind said.
Reince Priebus, chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, used Kind's announcement as an opportunity to criticize Kind's position on cap-and-trade regulations and the federal stimulus package. In a statement, he said Wisconsin voters do not support Kind's ""liberal voting record.""
Although only one Democrat has currently entered the race, Republicans including former Congressman Mark Neumann and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker have already registered to run.
