Bill Bolling Addresses Decision To Back Out Of Governor's Race

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling says his decision to step aside and allow Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to be the lone Republican officeholder running for governor is not the decision he wanted to make, but one that was needed.

Bolling still believes he would have been the best person to lead the state, and could have beaten Cuccinelli in a close primary. But when the GOP State Central Committee chose a convention to pick the nominee, Bolling says he knew he'd be an underdog and the process would split the party. Bolling was asked to respond to the suggestion that he had lost his fire for politics.

"Frankly, in many respects it's a lot more mean spirited today than it has been over the years," he says. "I think that's the tremendous challenge for the process. So it's fair to say that I've lost a little bit of my passion for many aspects of the political process, that's fair to say. But I haven't lost an ounce of my passion for public service. You know I love Virginia, I'm always going to be looking for ways to serve Virginia, and I understand better today than I ever have before, the need for strong, mainstream leadership."

Bolling says he currently does not intend to run as an Independent for governor, or for a third term as lieutenant governor. He also says although he's been a "soldier" for the Republicans, for now he won't endorse any gubernatorial candidate regardless of party affiliation.