WHEELING - West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant believes she has the leadership skills and background to be the next governor.
And she said she won't have to give up her office if she chooses to run for governor in a special election that occurs before 2012.
In Wheeling on Wednesday, Tennant acknowledged she has been strongly considering a run for governor whenever the next opportunity arises - whether it is in 2012 when the current gubernatorial term concludes, or before then, if a special election takes place.
Tennant, a Democrat, was elected to a four-year term as secretary of state in 2008.
"I have been thinking about it," Tennant said. "People first asked me about it two years ago, and now it's a more serious question.
"I have strong leadership skills, and while in office I have shown my character, background and vision. It's something I have seriously considered."
She said that if a special election were to occur before 2012, she won't step down as secretary of state.
"You don't have to do that," Tennant said. "I haven't anticipated that. When (former governor Joe Manchin) ran in 2004, he remained secretary of state.
"In this election, we elected 55 county clerks, and they are on the front lines of elections. The secretary of state just oversees the elections."
Other Democrats expected to join the race for governor are Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin; House Speaker Richard Thompson, D-Wayne; state Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall; and state Treasurer John Perdue.
Geography could play a role in a potential Democratic primary for governor.
Kessler, of Glen Dale, is the only candidate on that list who lives in an area north of Charleston. Tennant, a Charleston resident, is a native of Fairview in Marion County.
No Republicans have yet expressed interest in the race.
Questions about West Virginia gubernatorial succession laws came to the forefront after Joe Manchin was sworn in as a U.S. senator Nov. 15. Tomblin, who serves as state Senate president, took over as acting governor.
The West Virginia Citizen Action Group filed a petition with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals on Nov. 18, seeking a prompt election to elect a successor to Manchin.
The lawsuit names Tomblin, Thompson, D-Wayne, and Tennant specifically, and would require them to call for a special election.
"For our part, the Secretary of State's Office doesn't proclaim an election," Tennant said Tuesday. "We oversee it. Our job is to be there, and do what we can do to assure voters a fair and accessible election. And this means not just accessibility to the polls, but to the ballot."