Former governor John Evans decided Friday that he will not run for the U.S. Senate.
"I am not going to be a candidate for the U.S. Senate," Evans said in a telephone interview, ending weeks of soul-searching on whether to make a second bid for the U.S. Senate."There is no uncertainty about this. It is a very firm position," he said.
Several leading Democrats have announced in the past few days that they did not plan to run for the Senate this year. But as word of Evans' decision circulated through the Statehouse Friday afternoon, some of them said the announcement has rekindled their prospects.
Evans, who served 10 years as governor, gave up the job in 1986 in an unsuccessful campaign against Republican Sen. Steve Symms. He was considered the front-runner to capture the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat Republican Sen. James McClure will be surrendering at the end of this year.
He said the increasingly negative tone of the 1986 campaign helped him decide not to go through it again.
"One of the problems in politics today is the very negative campaigning. Public officials and all candidates today have to shoulder all that kind of criticism and belittlement to the detriment of politics and the democratic process.
"I just came to the conclusion that I did not want to contend with those negative campaigns any more," he said.
Evans spent the past week in Washington, D.C., visiting with top Democratic officials and exploring campaign financing.
"I received very generous encouragement and support. There's no question in my mind that had I decided to be a candidate I could have won that race," he said.
"As Lola (Mrs. Evans) has often said, `Hasn't 33 years of public service been enough?' "
"It just came down to a personal decision. It was just too much of a family and personal commitment for us to make at this time," Evans said.
Earlier in the week, one prospective opponent, state Sen. Karl Brooks, D-Boise, declared that he would not run. And state Sen. John Peavey, D-Carey, whose grandfather and stepfather both served in the U.S. Senate, said he will not run for the Senate himself this year.
Both could not be reached for immediate comment on Evans' decision.
Former legislator Ron Twilegar of Boise is expected to declare for the nomination. The only formally announced candidate for the Democratic nomination is Idaho Falls negotiator David Steed.
Idaho 1st District Congressman Larry Craig and Attorney General Jim Jones are battling for the Republican nomination.
Even though it is less than three months before the May 22 primary election, Evans said he thought there still is time for other Democrats to get into the race and beat Twilegar.
"I'm sure all of the ones that have been mentioned earlier will be super candidates," Evans said. "They've all been toying with the thought of running. This will give them the opportunity to re-examine their positions and they get to make the decision."