Missouri Treasurer Steelman to run for governor; Talent won't

~ Secretary of State Robin Carnahan confirmed she is thinking of entering the race

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State Treasurer Sarah Steelman said Friday that she will enter the Republican race for governor, the second candidate to do so since Gov. Matt Blunt's surprise exit from the race.

Steelman plans to formally announce her gubernatorial candidacy Saturday at her brother's home in Springfield.

She will join Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Several others are still considering whether to run. But former Republican Sen. Jim Talent declared Friday that he definitely will not.

Attorney General Jay Nixon remains the only Democrat to declare his candidacy for governor, though a campaign spokesman for Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan confirmed Friday that she is thinking about it.

Blunt's decision not seek a second term has sent shock waves through Missouri politics. Numerous politicians who had planned to stay on the sidelines or seek re-election to their current offices are now dreaming bigger and trying to quickly decide whether to ramp up a campaign.

Just hours before Blunt announced his decision Tuesday, Steelman had declared her intention to run again as treasurer. She did so in the kitchen of her parents' home in Jefferson City, flanked by her family under a banner that declared "Power to the People."

Now Steelman is converting the campaign theme to the governor's race, again going to the home of a family member to relaunch her campaign.

"The climate is different than it was," Steelman said in explanation of her switch.

But "my message is the same as I said before," she added. "It's important that the people of this state have a seat at the table of government."

Steelman met Friday with local Republican leaders in Salem, West Plains and Houston -- meetings previously arranged as part of her treasurer's campaign. She got positive reactions as she explained her switch to the governor's race, Steelman said.

Talent, meanwhile, said he will not make his fourth statewide campaign since 2000, when he narrowly lost the governor's race. Talent won election to the Senate in 2002 but then lost in 2006. He had probably the greatest statewide name recognition of the half-dozen Republicans considering the governor's race. But until Friday, when he withdrew his name from the list, Talent had said nothing publicly.

"Since the governor's announcement, I have received numerous inquiries from friends around the state about my interest in the governor's race," Talent said in a written statement. "However, in the expectation that I would not be seeking office in 2008, I have made commitments to my family, to the [Mitt] Romney for President campaign, and to other professional activities. I cannot reconcile running for governor now with those commitments."

Among the other Republicans still considering a gubernatorial campaign are U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway, Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton and Missouri Senate Majority Leader Charlie Shields.

Emerson said she will announce whether she will run for governor on Monday.

U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, who hosted a conference call Wednesday with possible candidates and Republican Party leaders, told reporters Friday that he is not backing any one candidate for governor and is not discouraging anyone from running.

"I am a communicator and a facilitator, not a dictator," Bond said.

While conventional wisdom might hold that Republicans are better off rallying around a single candidate instead of having a crowded primary, Bond said his own experience shows that isn't always true. He ran for governor three times and won twice after defeating competitors in the Republican primary. The one time he didn't face a primary opponent, he lost the general election.

"Nobody wants a primary, but sometimes they provide benefits," Bond said. "We'll see how it shakes out."

Nixon has long been the only Democrat running for governor. But Carnahan is the first since Blunt's announcement to acknowledge she is taking a fresh look at the race.

"She's received several calls from people urging her to think about it," said Carnahan spokesman Tony Wyche. "The political landscape in the state has gone through a major upheaval, so she's just going to take a little bit of time here and think about it."

Nixon had been campaigning against Blunt for several years before having to suddenly adjust his efforts. He has vowed to press on with essentially the same message.

"We recognize the secretary of state's right to make her own decision about her future," said Nixon campaign spokesman Oren Shur. But "we need to change from the policies that have held our state back these past three years, and Missourians know that Jay Nixon has the best experience and clearest vision to bring about that change."

This is not the first time Carnahan has pondered running for governor.

In December 2006, Carnahan said she had seriously considered it but announced she would instead run for a second term as secretary of state in 2008. At the time, she cited personal reasons. She had just been engaged to be married and had just completed successful treatment for breast cancer.

Ultimately, Carnahan said in 2006, she decided that a highly competitive gubernatorial primary and general election would have been far more demanding -- both personally and on her family -- than a re-election bid as secretary of state. Carnahan said then that she would support Nixon for governor.

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Associated Press writer Sam Hananel contributed to this report from Washington.