By AP/KWMU
Chicago – Former Republican Governor Jim Edgar announced today that he will not run for a third term in a emotional speech at the Union League Club of Chicago.
Surrounded by his wife Brenda and more than a dozen members of his previous administration, Edgar had to stop speaking several times as he described how hard it was for him to make a decision.
He said he reached that decision only after "a lot of thought" and "a lot of anguish."
For months, Edgar flirted with a run against incumbent Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Chicago Democrat.
Edgar guided the state through a budget crisis and emerged from two terms with his popularity intact.
He said that thousands of people have asked him to run.
Edgar's indecisiveness has kept some GOP hopefuls out of the race and choked off campaign contributions for others.