SAN FRANCISCO The complexion of two of Californias 2006 statewide races changed markedly yesterday when Democratic Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced that he would not run for governor as expected, and run for state treasurer instead.
Im fed up with partisan bickering, Lockyer told the Associated Press yesterday in announcing his reversal of course.
Lockyer served a quarter century in the Legislature before winning two terms as attorney general, the maximum allowed under term limits.
His Lockyer 2006 campaign committee had almost $11 million in hand at the end of 2004, which gave him a solid fundraising base to campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
None of the expected Democratic contenders for treasurer have Lockyers statewide name recognition.
The current treasurer, Democrat Phil Angelides, will be termed out and has already formally began his gubernatorial campaign.
Republicans expected to run for treasurer include Bill Simon, who lost the governors race to Gray Davis in 2002, and Assemblyman Keith Richman, who won the 2001 race to be mayor of the San Fernando Valley in the event that Los Angeles voters had allowed the valley to secede, which did not happen.
