Is Gillespie eyeing a statewide bid in '13?

He may not have initiated it, but Ed Gillespie's name has recently been dicussed in Republican circles as a potential statewide office seeker.

The Republican State Leadership Committee chairman has been mentioned by GOP sources as a possible candidate for lieutenant governor in 2013, a rumor that gained steam after the recent Virginia Republican Party gathering at The Homestead.

It took on another dimension when Gillespie's name was included in a recent telephone poll of Virginia Republicans testing attitudes about officials who have already declared statewide ambitions and those said to be considering runs.

Gillespie served as chairman of Gov. Bob McDonnell's successful 2009 campaign and is a former Republican National Committee chair who served in the administration of former President George W. Bush.

Gillespie could not be reached for comment Thursday, but a source close to him said he is not interested in running for statewide office in 2013 and had nothing to do with the recent poll.

A state GOP official likewise said the poll isn't theirs.

Word of that survey came Thursday as rumors intensified about another Republican said to be considering a lieutenant governor -- Pete Snyder, chairman of the state GOP's 2012 victory campaign -- whose departure from the media company he founded to start an investment firm prompted a public statement from McDonnell.

Other Republicans said to contemplating lieutenant governor candidacies include Prince William County Board of Supervisors chairman Corey Stewart, Keith Fimian, a northern Virginia businessman who's run for Congress, and Virginia Beach state Sen. Jeff McWaters, though he recently told The Virginian-Pilot he's considering a gubernatorial bid.

-- Julian Walker

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