Otter: ‘I don’t hope anybody but me runs for governor’

When Gov. Butch Otter addressed the Idaho Press Club this morning, he was asked about the possibility of his going up against GOP Congressman Raul Labrador in a bid for the governorship in 2014. “I don’t hope anybody but me runs for governor,” Otter said, when Idaho Statesman columnist Dan Popkey asked him whether he’d relish a run against Labrador after Labrador notably opposed Otter on everything from his 2009 gas tax proposal to this year’s health insurance exchange issue.

Popkey details Otter’s comments on his blog here , including a story from Otter’s days in Congress that involves then-President George W. Bush. Otter indicated today that he’ll be running again, but he’s not ready to make his formal announcement. “It’s not backing away,” he said. “I’m just not going to be pushed into a calendar. I’ve got a lot of other things on my mind right now. You know, I just, I am planning on it; I am fundraising; I’m doing those things that I can at the same time I’m trying to govern the state of Idaho.”