Friday, January 2, 2009

Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson has announced he's not running for governor in 2010.

Parkinson has sometimes been considered the leading Democratic
candidate for governor. But he says he expects to return to private
business when his term as lieutenant governor ends in January 2011.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius can't run again in 2010 because of term
limits in the state constitution.

Parkinson issued a brief statement Friday.

He said he's been getting questions about his plans and wants to
give other Democrats time to come forward.

Parkinson, a former legislator, also is a former Kansas
Republican Party chairman. But he switched parties to run on
Sebelius' ticket for re-election in 2006.