(UPDATED, 1:10 p.m., to reflect that state Rep. Holli Woodings is considering a run.)
The race to succeed Secretary of State Ben Ysursa should be crowded, but state Sen. Marv Hagedorn says he has decided against a run.
“My gut tells me now is not the right time for a move,” Hagedorn, R-Meridian, said in a message sent out this morning over Twitter.
Hagedorn instead says he will seek a fifth legislative term in 2014. “The Legislature is a very complex operation working on a multitude of state and national issues all the time. That challenge keeps me charged up at this stage of my life.”
So let’s reset the field for secretary of state.
- State Rep. Lawerence Denney of Midvale is already in the race — and last week came the news that he will get some fundraising support from the cast of the popular cable TV reality series “Duck Dynasty.”
- Former state Sen. Mitch Toryanski of Boise and deputy Ada County clerk Phil McGrane have filed paperwork naming a campaign treasurer. This is a precursor to fund-raising for a run, but neither Toryanski nor McGrane have formally entered the race.
- First-term Rep, Luke Malek of Coeur d’Alene says he is considering a run.
- No Democrats have announced for the race. But state Rep. Holli Woodings of Boise tells Boise Weekly that she is thinking about the race.
The secretary of state is Idaho’s chief elections official. The secretary of state also holds one of five seats on the Idaho Land Board, determining state lands policies affecting public schools and other endowment beneficiaries.
