A juicy little rumor is making the rounds in Democratic circles. There is absolutely no confirmation, and it may simply be a case of wishful thinking on the part of certain Dems. But even so, I’ll invoke Blogger’s Privilege and put it out there.
The rumor: House Speaker Shap Smith might run for lieutenant governor.
At first, I was dubious. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.
For those just joining us, Smith launched a bid for governor last summer. But he pulled out in mid-November, citing his wife’s battle with cancer. He also announced he would not run for re-election to the House, which also meant abandoning the Speakership at biennium’s end. However, he left the door just a teensy-weensy bit open.
He told reporters that even if the treatments go well, it was unlikely he would re-enter the race.
“Unlikely.” He didn’t completely dismiss the idea.
All right, here’s where we turn to pure speculation.