Openly gay state Senator Paul Koering
is eyeing the possibility of a run for governor in Minnesota, the
Minnesota Independent reported.
Koering, a Republican, told the Pioneer
Press last week that he's considering throwing his hat into the
contest, after learning that moderate Republican Governor Tim
Pawlenty will not run for a third term.
The forty-four-year-old politician said
he is “forming an exploratory committee and will be talking to
state party leaders, delegates and community leaders to gauge the
possibility of a 2010 gubernatorial run.”
Amid a heated debate on a state
constitutional ban on gay marriage In 2005, Koering fessed up to
long-standing rumors about being gay.
A pro-lifer, Koering raised eyebrows in
February when he announced he would not support a gay marriage bill,
despite having voted against then-State Senator Michele Bachmann's
anti gay marriage amendment in 2005.
Koering said his record over the past
seven years shows he can work effectively with both parties.
“I have the ability to work with what
is right now a Democratically controlled legislature,” he told the
Morrison County Record. “But the first hurdle is to
convince enough delegates that I would be the right guy.”
About 45 politicians, including
anti-gay U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, are considering running for the
job.