Idaho Secretary of State Holds off on If He is Running Again

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa smiles a little uncomfortably when asked whether he plans to run for a fourth term come 2014. The fact is, Ysursa acknowledged Tuesday, he's already missed his own self-imposed deadline to make a decision.

Give him a little more time, the 64-year-old Republican asks. Ysursa already has a challenger waiting in the wings, in the form of Rep. Lawerence Denney of Midvale. Denney and Ysursa are longtime rivals, at least politically, having clashed over membership on the committee that in 2012 redrew Idaho's electoral boundaries.

Among Ysursa's potential considerations for running is whether his traditional faction of the GOP can field a strong candidate to face the more-conservative Denney in the May 2014 Republican primary. Be patient, Ysursa asks. He'll make an announcement. Soon.