Several months ago, Jones told me flatly that he would not run for Governor again. Today (July 14), he certainly altered that statement.
Jones said "I'm not focusing on running myself. I'm trying to find someone that can win". He added, "the chance of my running would be very slim". But as you can tell, he's not ruling it out. Jones may be pushing Ben Chandler to run. He says he'll support Chandler if he decides to enter the race. But he's not sure the other potential democratic party contenders (Luallen, Henry, Owen, Mongiardo) could win back the Governor's Office if Chandler doesn't run. So it sounds like Jones is offering himself as the "guy who could win" if Chandler stays in Washington. Jones says he's getting dozens of phone calls, urging him to consider the governor's race but isn't making any phone calls seeking supporters. I'm not sure what to think. Jones was a pretty honest governor, had problems with the legislature and didn't even like the job until his 3rd or 4th year. I'm not sure why he'd want to do it again. But if he runs, he'll have to beat Steve Henry in a democratic primary. And Henry is tougher than many people think.