Former Attorney General Petro to run for state Supreme Court in 2010

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Northeast Ohio native and former Attorney General, Jim Petro, has set his sights on becoming Ohio's next Supreme Court chief justice.

From the story:

Party leaders, including U.S. House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio, had urged Petro, a moderate Republican who made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2006, to run next year for a seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce of subur- ban Columbus.

"I have had strong experience as a manager, a lawyer and advocate in courts across the country, so I really do lean toward running for the Supreme Court in Ohio," said Petro, who also has served as state auditor.

..."I don't hesitate to tell people in the political circles that I'm interested in running for chief justice, but that's still three years away -- a lifetime," he said.

In the meantime, Petro, 58, told the newspaper he will continue doing what he is doing -- practicing law, including performing death-penalty pro bono work, and playing handyman around his Columbus home -- until he begins a campaign in earnest in 2010.

The Plain Dealer story notes that Petro isn't likely to be the only Republican hoping to fill the seat of Ohio Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, who will not be able to seek re-election in 2010 because he will be over the age limit of 70. The seven-member Supreme Court is all Republican (though not all pro-Second Amendment), and several justices might seek the seat, including Maureen O'Connor and Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, who are up for re-election in 2008.