University of Oklahoma President David Boren will discourage his son, former U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, from running for governor in 2018, saying in a statement Sunday that "it is not a good idea."
David Boren, a Democrat who's headed the state's flagship university for two decades and has been Oklahoma's governor and a U.S. senator, issued a statement on the heels of an Associated Press report that the younger Boren was considering running for governor in 2018.
"I learned from media reports today that Dan Boren is considering a race for governor in 2018. I will advise against it," David Boren said. "In my opinion, it is not a good idea. I have had a policy of never endorsing or campaigning for any candidate for governor. I will continue that policy regardless of who the candidates may be."
A university spokeswoman said David Boren declined to elaborate.
"President Boren is at the OU women's basketball game," OU spokeswoman Catherine Bishop wrote in an email to the AP. "His statement speaks for itself."
Dan Boren, 42, a former state representative who also served eight years in Congress representing eastern Oklahoma's 2nd District, said last week he's started meeting with state political and business leaders and developing policy proposals in preparation for a potential candidacy.
"I am taking all of the necessary steps to become a candidate for governor and I will make a final decision at the end of this year," Boren said in an interview Friday. He did not immediately respond to messages Sunday seeking comment on his father's statement.
After announcing he would not run for a fifth term in 2012, Dan Boren went to work in the business development office of the Chickasaw Nation, one of the most powerful Native American tribes in Oklahoma.
Both father and son Boren had reputations as centrists during their time in Congress.
Dan Boren was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of congressmen from mostly southern states who identified themselves as conservative Democrats. He was one of only a few dozen Democrats who voted against the Affordable Care Act, although he said he supports an expansion of Medicaid authorized under the federal legislation.
Current Republican Gov. Mary Fallin is term-limited and cannot seek another term in 2018. The open governor's seat is expected to draw interest from several high-profile political hopefuls on both sides of the aisle.
