Mike Stuart to run for governor?

by: Carnacki

Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:03:03 AM EST

Stuart's got impressive credentials and the WV GOP biography makes him sound more like a candidate himself than a party chairman.

Mike, Katrina, Isabella and Audrey returned to West Virginia to begin the effort to fight for working folks, to rebuild West Virginia's economy, and to create an economic environment where future generations of West Virginians can reside and thrive.

Is Stuart using his position as WV GOP chairman to build his own political future and protect Capito's or that of other Republican candidates? It'll be interesting to watch, but it wouldn't be the first time that Shelley Moore Capito's supporters have maneuvered to block Ireland from becoming a potential Capito rival.

Here he is in Politico mulling a run for governor:

"The key is bold leadership. We need a GOP candidate that is not afraid to lead to build a better future for West Virginia," he said.

Stuart is in the middle of a reorganization of the state party and said he would want to meet with key business leaders before settling on a decision. But he could use the overhaul of the state party as a launching pad for a campaign.

"We will be releasing my vision plan for the state in February which will go a long way toward defining key goals we want to achieve for West Virginia through new leadership," he said. "The race must be about the future as well as a referendum by the people on whether they are satisfied with placeholders as opposed to transformative leadership."

Doesn't that mean that as WV GOP chairman, Stuart is already dismissing Ireland as a candidate who could offer that kind of leadership?