Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland not seeking re-election in 2014

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Former Ohio. Gov. Ted Strickland will not seek re-election as governor in 2014, according a statement released by the Ohio Democratic Party Tuesday.

Strickland, who served as the 68th governor of Ohio from January 2007 to January 2011, did not cite a specific reason for not seeking re-election, but plans “to be politically active.”

“With the help of President Obama, who provided the funds necessary to keep Ohio and all of America from slipping into another Great Depression, we were able to preserve the social safety net, make important investments in education, and position Ohio’s economy for the recovery that started in February 2010,” Strickland said in a statement.

Should Strickland have decided to reclaim the governorship, it would have set the stage for a rematch with current Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who narrowly defeated Strickland in 2010.

As governor, Strickland implemented the University System of Ohio, and following his term, served as a national co-chair to U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

During the campaign, Strickland was one of the most vocal against Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney, particularly drawing attention to Romney’s perfectly legal offshore bank accounts.