On Monday morning, standing in front of the Washington State Governor’s Mansion in Olympia, two-term incumbent Democrat Gov. Christine Gregoire told reporters that she would not seek a third term in office.

Though Gregoire acknowledged that “serving in public office can be very lonely,” she said she “never felt lonely,” giving credit to her staff and supporters.

As for her successor, Gregoire told reporters that she had spoken with Congressman Jay Inslee by phone and urged him to run. Currently, the field in the 2012 gubernatorial race only contains current Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna who leads Inslee in most polls.

As for her future plans, Gregoire said only that she would be working hard for the next 18 months on state business, after which she planned to spend time with family.

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[photo credit: flickr]