Gary Locke, governor of the State of Washington, announced July 21 that he will not run for the third term next year. His second term will end in January 2005. Gary Locke is the first Asian American to be elected governor in the continental USA and is a rising star in the Democratic Party. He was the chair of the Democratic Governors Association. He gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union address on January 28. Although he was criticized by the Republicans, his supporters consider Gov Lock a skillful politicians who faced a $3.5 billion budget deficit but was able to reach a balanced budget without sacrificing social services and raising taxes. Gov. Locke, 53, the son of Chinese immigrants, grew up in Seattle. He won both election by a sizable margin.
Reports Sarah Kershaw (The New York Times, July 22, 2003), he and his wife, Mana Lee, had spent a month contemplating his future and decided not to seek for the third term of another four years. He said "we really wanted a more normal life."