Mayor Teresa Tomlinson says ‘no thanks’ to higher office in 2014 | Latest News | Columbus Ledger Enquirer

[Columbus, Georgia] Mayor Teresa Tomlinson says she’s not going anywhere. Not just yet.

Tomlinson confirmed today that she has been approached by “politicos” to consider a run for either the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss or the governor’s seat in 2014.

“And I told them, ‘No thank you, I’m running for mayor,’” Tomlinson said.

It is not unusual, Tomlinson said, for mayors of larger cities to be courted for higher office. Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver, for example, has also been repeatedly approached, she said.

“The type of individuals who approached me about both Chambliss’ seat and the governor’s office are the type of people who make those kinds of entrees – politicos,” she said. “They’re people who work the party system and try to flesh out prospective candidates.

“I thanked them and told them I was flattered, but it’s not even anything I would consider.”

She was approached initially and more often about Chambliss’ seat, she said, but because she made it so clear that she had no immediate interest in statewide office, fewer people have approached her about challenging Deal. She was most recently approached at a June 6 judicial reception at the River Club.

Tomlinson said she would “never say never” about seeking higher office in 2018. But whether she seeks another public office or another kind of job, it will be something in which she thinks she can make a difference.

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