Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky says he will not run for governor in 2018.
He plans to run for re-election to council District 2, which stretches from Charlestown on the Vermont border to Dublin and Keene and over to Dover, Durham, Rochester, and Somersworth.
The Democrat from Concord tells NHPR it's humbling to have friends and supporters encourage him to run. In the end, 2018 was not meant to be.
His decision leaves a potential opening in the Democratic Party field.
Former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand is the only announced candidate for the party's nomination for governor.
While Volinsky may not be challenging first-term Republican Governor Chris Sununu for the corner office, he says he will continue to press progressive causes for the state.
Volinsky, an attorney, is known for his litigation of the Claremont education funding lawsuit. He served as legal counsel for Sen. Bernie Sanders, who won the New Hampshire Presidential Democratic Primary in 2016, and was a pledged delegate for Sanders during the national convention.
Just last week, Volinsky told NHPR some members of the party's base were encouraging him to run for governor. He says it is just not the right time.
