Richard Painter, a former ethics lawyer for former President George W. Bush and vocal critic of President Trump, announced Wednesday he is considering running for the Minnesota U.S. Senate seat vacated by Al Franken after he resigned following several sexual misconduct allegations.
Painter announced at the Minnesota State Capitol Building in St. Paul that he was forming an exploratory committee for a possible Senate bid, but admitted he was still unsure whether he would align himself with a political party.
“I need to think about whether there’s a place for me [in the GOP],” the lifelong Republican told local media.
“I’m going to be considering any and all options,” he added, before describing himself as “a centrist in many ways — right up the middle.”
I will make an announcement today at the State Capitol in St. Paul about the Minnesota senate race.
It is time to take back our government from corruption and money in politics
More to come.— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) March 7, 2018
Just announced my exploratory committee for the US Senatehttps://t.co/T6k9kUF7eB
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) March 7, 2018
Sen. Tina Smith was sworn in as Franken’s Democratic replacement in January and has signaled her intention to be the party’s candidate in the state’s special election for the seat in November.
Painter’s only potential Republican primary challenger thus far is small business owner and state senator Karin Housley.
Painter served the Bush administration as White House chief ethics counsel from 2005 to 2007, and is now a University of Minnesota law professor and vice chairman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
He has been fixture on cable news in recent months, criticizing the Trump administration and the president.
Painter in January tweeted that Trump was “psychologically unfit” and should be removed from office.
