Secretary of State Ken Bennett is making no bones about his intention of running for governor and a newly approved law is allowing him to do it. The measure allows elected officials to be more vocal about their plans without being forced to resign, according to Matt Roberts of the Secretary of State’s Office.
“Now, in 2013, candidates may come out and make formal declarations of their intentions but the act of filing nomination paper work is what actually triggers the resign to run requirements,” Roberts said.
Roberts says the new law allows candidates to file nominating paperwork in the last year of their terms, and remain in office during the campaign year. That means there will likely be more candidates announcing intentions after the first of the year.