As guests wander the holiday decorated main floor of the governor's mansion, he stands off to the side with a reporter trying to explain that he really, really has not thought about running for a second term. He is genuinely perplexed. Why, he wonders, would anyone care right now whether he will run in 2002.
Republicans are dismissive of such bravado.
They point to their other election successes this year as proof that the GOP remains the state's political power. Democrats lost more seats in the state House and Senate. They failed to win any of the three open congressional races and lost state Cabinet races. I don't think there is any question that we will be getting a lot of help from all over the country,'' says Poe. Bush clearly has some mending to do.