CHAFEE

PROVIDENCE –– Was that an “official” announcement of a run for governor of Rhode Island Tuesday night?

Former U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee now says he was “getting a little ahead of myself.”

Speaking from his office at Brown University, where he has a teaching fellowship at the Watson Institute for International Studies, Chafee said Wednesday morning that his interview on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show Tuesday night wasn’t intended to be an “official announcement” as a candidate for governor.

Chafee said he was bolstered by the “encouragement” he’s gotten during his exploratory campaign.

During his interview with Maddow about U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter’s announcement that he was switching to the Democratic Party, Chafee talked about his own decision to leave the Republican Party in 2007. And then he mentioned being a candidate for governor in Rhode Island.

“I’m running as an independent here in Rhode Island, but the opportunity might come down the road to be part of a different party. That’s possible,” Chafee told Maddow toward the end of a five-minute interview.

Maddow asked: “When you run for governor in Rhode Island, did you ever consider running as a Democrat?”

“Of course, I considered all the options,” Chafee replied. “But ultimately, Rhode Island has a strong streak of independence and the largest voting bloc actually are unaffiliated voters in Rhode Island, so I decided to run as an independent.”

The morning after, Chafee said, “I probably should have thrown the word ‘exploratory’ in there.”

He now says that he won’t make an official announcement until June, when his teaching fellowship at Brown has ended.

Official announcement or not, Chafee’s run for governor has been a non-secret secret for months.

Chafee announced his exploratory campaign and put the news out on a Web site, www.chafeeforgovernor.com, weeks ago.

“The time is ripe not only for a new leadership but a government that works for everyone,” said the former Republican, who gave up the GOP label months after losing his Senate seat to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse last fall.

“I firmly believe in the vital importance of governing from the center — of listening to all sides of an issue. I believe that when we have the courage to do this, to reach across party lines and ideological divides, we will bring people together and great work will happen.”

Chafee — whose late father, John H. Chafee, a Republican, served as Rhode Island governor and a senator — said he thinks his expertise on transportation, environmental protections that encourage economic development and alternative energy solutions “is exactly the kind of experience that can leverage these assets and transform our economy into one that can sustain our prosperity and quality of life for future generations.”

Governor Carcieri, a Republican, cannot run for reelection because of term limits.

kgregg@projo.com