A major Republican contender for the 2010 gubernatorial ticket has taken herself out of the running.
Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, who has been exploring the run for months, announced Thursday she had decided not to seek the post and threw her weight behind Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, a Republican, for the seat, Gongwer News reported.
That endorsement, analysts say, dims the chances of Attorney General Mike Cox to win the Republican nomination, though the race is still early yet. Other Republicans in the field, or at least considering a run, are Sen. Tom George, R-Kalamazoo, and Ann Arbor business executive Rick Snyder.
Land said campaign finances were not a concern in running for the high office, but said the next governor needs Bouchard’s legislative and administrative. He served in the state House and Senate during the 1990s.
