Bolling Declines Independent Bid for Virginia Governor

Bill Bolling, in announcing that he will not leave the Republican Party and run as an independent for governor of Virginia this year, did so with one of the classic political dropout lines: It’s not me, it’s the system.

“I was confident I could raise enough money to run a competitive campaign,” Mr. Bolling said in a message posted online and sent to supporters, “but I was not confident I could raise enough money to run a winning campaign.”

The potential independent bid is the second gubernatorial campaign that Mr. Bolling, the state’s lieutenant governor, declined in four months. In November, Mr. Bolling said he would not run for the Republican nomination, clearing the way for Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, Virginia’s attorney general, who is known nationally for leading the legal crusade against President Obama’s health care overhaul. In declining to run as a Republican, Mr. Bolling cited the state party’s nominating process, which would favor the more conservative Mr. Cuccinelli.

Mr. Bolling had been staking out a position as a moderate alternative to the conservative firebrand. He said he would not endorse Mr. Cuccinelli when he dropped out of the Republican contest, citing “serious reservations about his ability to effectively and responsibly lead the state.” And last month, Mr. Bolling sided with Democrats in the state Senate, casting the tie-breaking vote to delay a strict voter identification law.

Ultimately, however, Mr. Bolling said he did not want to sever his relationship with the Republican Party, even though he is “very concerned” about its direction. He again withheld an endorsement, offering well wishes to both Mr. Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic fund-ra! iser who is now his party’s leading candidate.

Although an independent bid by Mr. Bolling had potential to divide the Republican establishment, it is unclear whether he would have drawn more voters from Mr. Cuccinelli or Mr. McAuliffe. A recent Quinnipiac poll that showed Mr. Cuccinelli and Mr. McAuliffe in a 38-38 dead heat in a two-way race also showed the two statistically tied â€" 34 percent for Mr. McAuliffe to 31 percent for Mr. Cuccinelli â€" with Mr. Bolling as a candidate. Mr. Bolling received support from 13 percent of respondents.

There is another third-party candidate, but his spoiler potential seems minimal: Tareq Salahi, of White House party-crashing fame.