Bill Daley shocked many on Monday night when he announced he’s ending his campaign for governor of Illinois. The move is likely to leave Gov. Pat Quinn unopposed in the Democratic primary, though there are already plenty of Republicans planning to challenge him in 2014. Daley explained the decision in an awkward interview with the Chicago Tribune, saying he wasn’t prepared for the “enormity” of his first run for office – though he was President Obama’s chief of staff, commerce secretary under Bill Clinton, campaign manager for Al Gore’s presidential bid, and his father and brother served as mayor of Chicago. “The last six weeks or so have been really tough on me, struggling with this. Is this really me? Is this really what I want to spend my next five to nine years doing? And is this the best thing for me to do at this stage of my life?” he mused. “I’ve come to the conclusion that this isn’t the best thing for me.” For future reference, “I want to spend more time with my family” would have sufficed.
