Quote

I don't want to spend the rest of my life in politics. When I'm finished with my term as governor, I'm going back to the life that's waiting for me in the private sector.

I'm not driven to get back into politics. It's not on my top five things to do before I die, but saying that, I may be in politics in the next year or the next ten years. I've been on the front line for 12 years, four in state government, eight on the national level.

I am not joining politics. I don't intend to contest election. I am happy to be back to doing normal things, be it films or other work.

After thinking carefully about how I can best help my fellow Minnesotans, I have decided to not seek election for a different office in 2014. The warm encouragement from many people to run for U.S. senator or the governorship was deeply humbling.

I'm not a politician and don't want any part of politics.

I'll never get out of politics. I have friends in public office. I have things that I want to do. You can't go back in life. I won't go back to the existence I had before of running a political consulting firm and signing up clients and advising campaigns in exactly that way.

My goal was never to get re-elected.

I think that what I'm doing is right. And election-year politics, which intensifies everything, is not going to drive me off that course.

I'm not sure I had a political career for the future anyway. I'm not sure that politics was what I wanted to spend my life doing.