Reno may run for Florida governorship

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno said Friday she was considering running for governor of Florida in 2002.

Though Republican incumbent Jeb Bush has not declared his intentions, many observers expect the president's brother to seek a second term.

"I'm intrigued by the thought," she said.

Reno, 62, a Democrat, was born in Miami and served as Dade County state's attorney for 10 years before moving to Washington.

Though initially reluctant to consider a return to public life, Reno told CNN in a telephone interview Friday evening, "I decided I should give it consideration because I love this state so much."

"I want to preserve its resources, give its children a strong and positive future, have the elderly stay in their homes as long as possible, protect its environment," she added.

Asked about when she might make a final decision, she said, "When I've properly and thoroughly considered it."

Reno, who since leaving office has been relaxing and enjoying such outdoors pursuits as kayaking, suffers from Parkinson's Disease, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary tremor. She disclosed her possible interest in a run for the state house in Tallahassee in an interview Friday with Miami TV station WPLG.

Asked whether her medical condition could hinder her ability to serve as governor, she said, "I survived for almost eight years in Washington, under a very rigorous schedule ... I'm prepared to go forward."

Reno would not comment on the FBI's bungling of investigative documents and tapes it should have turned over to the defense in the case of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh case, whose scheduled execution has been delayed until June 11.

"I've not been briefed on it, I was not aware of it, so I cannot comment," she said. "I would not comment while the matter is pending."

On the potential impact on a Reno candidacy of Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy who was rescued off the Florida coast on Thanksgiving Day in 1999 only to be seized by U.S. authorities many months later so he could be returned to Cuba, she said:

"I'm sure it will be one of the issues."

Reno said she might mull over her decision on a planned trip out West. "I've got my truck, I got the top for the truck the other day," she said.

"What I want to do is make a determination about what's best for Florida," she said.