Kentucky's Lieutenant Governor says he is taking a pass on running for governor in 2015.
Speaking Tuesday afternoon to the Elizabethtown Rotary Club, Democrat Jerry Abramson said he wants to spend his remaining two-and-a-half years in Frankfort as an education advocate.
"You don't need to be an elected official to be a public servant," the former Louisville mayor told reporters after his speech. "I see myself really getting involved in public service by advocating for kids, by speaking out, by meeting with parents."
Abramson had previously said he was considering a gubernatorial bid. He told his Hardin County audience Tuesday that he wants to be an "education warrior" who helps the commonwealth develop a more skilled and educated workforce.
Abramson lamented the reduced funding for postsecondary education in Kentucky, saying the rising cost of tuition is making higher education unaffordable for many residents of the Bluegrass State.
He ruled out any future run for higher office.
The Lt. Gov. said he realized that by running for governor, he would have to focus on a multitude of issues that are important to different groups of people in different parts of the commonwealth. He also told reporters he has no desire to be a state education commissioner, university president, or school superintendent.
Abramson said his decision to sit out the next governor's race has nothing to do with his wife's breast cancer diagnosis.
Other possible 2015 Democratic gubernatorial candidates include Attorney General Jack Conway, Auditor Adam Edelen, former auditor Crit Luallen, and former Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo.
