Stunning supporters and fellow Democrats, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton abruptly dropped her campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor Monday, citing "very personal" reasons.

Lawton was the third Democrat since August to announce he or she wasn't running for the office, and the surprise left many Democrats looking to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to fill the sudden void.

"For very personal reasons, I will not pursue the Democratic nomination for governor in 2010," Lawton said in an e-mail to supporters, adding, "My deep commitment to our state is second only to my commitment to my family."

Lawton's campaign had been moving ahead in recent days, rolling out an endorsement from a state lawmaker on Thursday, reaching out to outside political talent on Friday and planning a Madison fundraiser for Wednesday morning. Calls to Lawton's campaign were not returned, and her Capitol office was closed and dark Monday.

Former state Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager said that she met with Lawton on Monday and that the decision was made for family reasons. She said Lawton's health was good.

"As much as she loves public life and public service, she needed to make a tough decision," she said.

Former Democratic party chairman Matt Flynn, an early endorser of Lawton, said he had been expected to talk with her Monday about fundraising but instead got a call from her to say she would not be running.

"She said it was a decision reached with great difficulty," Flynn said. "She said she had reluctantly concluded after discussions with her family that this was the right thing for her family."

Lawton is married with two adult children and four grandchildren.

Her sudden announcement comes amid a report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Barrett is being urged by President Barack Obama to enter the 2010 campaign for governor. It also comes after Gov. Jim Doyle last week gave only faint praise for Lawton, saying in her nearly seven years in office she "has worked hard on the arts and a number of other projects."

Lawton has struggled to raise money in the past but had gained several endorsements from prominent Democrats in recent weeks.

After Doyle announced in August that he would not seek a third term, Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, considered a run but then announced in September he would seek to stay in Congress.

As Barrett ponders his decision, he is coping with a difficult city budget, a controversial attempt to place Milwaukee schools under his control, and the physical effects of an assault suffered on Aug. 15 when he intervened in a domestic dispute outside the Wisconsin State Fair.

Democratic strategist Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said he was hoping for an "expeditious" decision from Barrett.

"He's not even the 800-pound gorilla in the room; now he's the 1,600-pound gorilla," Pocan said.

Barrett and Doyle, speaking at a press conference Monday morning at a Madison library on solar energy investments, both said they were "surprised" by Lawton's announcement.

Asked whether he had spoken with Obama about the race, Barrett said that he had spoken with "individuals who are associated with Washington, D.C., in various capacities" but had not spoken with the president.

"I have not made a decision," Barrett said. "I'm getting much closer to making a decision.

"I understand that time is of the essence now," he said, adding that his decision could come in sooner than two weeks.

Doyle praised Barrett as someone who make a strong candidate and said he was confident his party could hold onto the governor's mansion.

"We're going to have a very, very good candidate that will emerge" on the Democratic side, he said.

For now, Lawton's withdrawal leaves only Jared Gary Christiansen, an 18-year-old McDonald's manager from Ellsworth, as the only Democrat registered for race.

The Republican candidates include Milwaukee County executive Scott Walker and former congressman Mark Neumann.

Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement Monday that Doyle and the White House "were successful in derailing Lawton's candidacy, no doubt paving the way for their handpicked successor."

After a separate press conference on job creation Monday morning, Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, kept his options open about running himself but praised Barrett.

"My thoughts are that I never completely pulled my name out but I think there are a lot of good candidates in our state and in our party," Sheridan said.

Dane County executive Kathleen Falk has been mentioned by Democrats as a possible candidate if Barrett bows out. In a statement Falk praised Lawton and said she was working to complete the county budget.

"That's where my focus is right now," Falk said.

State Journal reporter Dee J. Hall contributed to this report.

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