Gregoire may ask to be removed from solicitor general list

Published 11:10 pm Friday, August 6, 2010

OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire says she may take herself out of the running to replace Elena Kagan as solicitor general.

Gregoire told The Seattle Times on Friday that she may make a decision over the weekend. White House officials said in May that Gregoire was on a list of potential candidates if Kagan was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was confirmed Thursday.

Gregoire has said before that she didn’t know what she would do if President Barack Obama offered her the job.

Gregoire says that while she doesn’t know if she’s still in the running for the job, she “really can’t think of a worse time for a governor to leave the state.”

She says she needs to decide whether she should just tell them that she doesn’t want to be put in the position to be asked.