Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado announced this morning at a press conference in his hometown of Santa Maria that he is no longer running for governor of California.
Flanked by his wife and children on one side and his political mentors on the other, Maldonado told reporters outside City Hall, “now is the time for me to take a step back” from holding a public office.
“But I’m going to continue to help [the public] as a private citizen,” he said.
After 20 years in the political arena, Maldonado said he’s ending his career not because he lacks the experience to lead, but because he wants to spend more time with his family.
“It’s time for me to stay home. It’s time for me to be a full-time dad,” Maldonado said, eliciting happy tears from his wife, Laura, and four children. “It’s time for me to be a full-time husband.”
It’s been no secret that the gubernatorial hopeful’s campaign has struggled, especially when it came to funding. Data from the California Secretary of State’s office showed Maldonado’s campaign outspent its earnings in the first six months of 2013, and more than a third of the money (approximately $185,000) was spent solely on campaign consultants.
This article appears in Jan 9-16, 2014.