Reno refuses to set deadline for decision on running for Florida governor

Reno offered few answers about her plans to run for governor of Florida

WASHINGTON -- Former Attorney General Janet Reno hinted at interest in running for Florida's governorship Thursday, but declined to directly criticize incumbent Republican Gov. Jeb Bush.

"I'm getting a very interesting reaction from people that says, 'Go for it. We're for you,'" Reno said in an interview on CNN's "Inside Politics."

Reno is considering a bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in her home state, where she returned after serving eight years as attorney general under former President Clinton.

If she decides to run for governor of Florida, she would supercharge what is already one of the hottest 2002 races. Many Democrats would love to see Bush -- the brother of President Bush -- defeated as a payback for the Florida presidential dispute, if nothing else.

The question for many Democrats is whether Reno could deliver a victory. A Miami Herald poll this week gave Reno 43 percent support to Jeb Bush's 49 percent. Her showing was the best of nine potential Democratic candidates.

Reno also enjoys unmatched name recognition and a record of public service in Florida. She was elected four times to public office in Dade County before becoming attorney general in 1993.

But her record as attorney general was controversial, particularly her leadership during the Branch Davidian crisis in Waco, Texas, and various investigations of Clinton and then-Vice President Al Gore. Her decisions led to criticism from both Democrats and Republicans at times.

But it may be the case 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 -- that remains hottest issue facing Reno in Florida. The state's sizeable Cuban-American population remains angry over the decision, but there are now as many non-Cuban Hispanics in the state as Cuban-Americans.

The same Herald poll showed a split over the question of whether the Gonzalez case would affect individual support of Reno for governor.

Reno said Florida needed to make a greater effort in education, preservation of natural resources, water quality and quantity, among other issues, but she carefully avoided criticizing the incumbent.

Asked whether Bush was vulnerable in 2002, she said, "I don't think I should comment on that. I want to talk about the issues, I want to talk about what I can do, and the decision I will make is how can I best serve Florida -- outside or inside government?"

Similarly, she refused to set a timetable for a decision. Reno said she will decide "as soon as possible, but I want to do it in a thoughtful, careful manner."

She also dismissed concerns that her Parkinson's disease would affect her ability to serve.

"I used to tell the press sometimes...you get used to it, and if you all get used to it, it won't bother you either," she said. Noting that the disease was diagnosed years before she ended her service as attorney general, Reno said she was "prepared" for the office.