Sen. Christine Kehoe said she’s not looking to run for state Assembly in 2010, saying she will serve out her term, which ends in 2012.
Kehoe said the paperwork to run for Assembly in 2010 was “in error” and that she is backing her former staffer, ex-City Councilwoman Toni Atkins, in Atkins’ campaign for the Assembly seat now held by Lori Saldaña, whose term expires in 2010.
“I’m supporting her for her election in 2010,” Kehoe said of Atkins. “I won’t be challenging another Democrat. But I am able to look at the Assembly at some point in the future, so I wanted to have an account that was ready to go.”
Kehoe served four years in the state Assembly before successfully running for state Senate. Under term limits, Kehoe can serve one more two-year term in the Assembly. Kehoe said her campaign account has been changed to reflect a possible 2012 Assembly run.
She said she is “keeping my options open” and said opening the committee allows her to “think about my political future.”
Forming a committee campaign now allows Kehoe to raise money for a future run while she’s still in office. If she decides to run for a different office or in a different year, she can transfer the money to a new committee, provided she follows the state requirements.