Recent events have made running for and winning the Governorship of any state far less glamorous and far less career advancing.
When one looks at the lower public opinion ratings of many governors in the midst of the Great Recession we have been in for more than a year, one can see how being a legislator–a US Senator or Representative–is far more appealing.
Being a legislator means less responsibility and blame when situations beyond one’s control go sour. Would anyone now want to be NY Governor David Paterson, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, Florida Governor Charlie Crist and other governors of other states?  Why is it that Charlie Crist and now Sarah Palin have chosen not to run for reelection? Part of it is their desire to run for President, but also the misery in states large and small dealing with the Great Recession.Â
Of course, there will always be those who wish to run for and, in many states, remain Governor of their states–such examples as Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom in California, Deval Patrick in Massachusetts, Andrew Cuomo and Rudy Guiliani in New York, Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas,–but the position looks far less alluring and attractive now than it has in many years, literally decades!