GLAAD ex-president Giuliano mulling AZ gov run

When Neil Giuliano announced earlier this year that he would be stepping down as head of the gay media watchdog GLAAD, he said it was to pursue “personal interests.” Now we have a better idea what those interests are.

The former Mayor of Tempe says he’s thinking about a run for governor of Arizona.

Neil Guliano: “Being the head of a national advocacy organization, on a plane two or three times a week, rasining money all the time, dealing with the media every single day. So i’ve had a four year campaign, I’m gonna take a little break from that, I’m gonna be here, I’m gonna listen to people, i’m gonna talk to people and we’ll see what happens down the road.”

Guiliano told Phoenix-based online talk show host Grant Woods that he has not made a final decision on a run for the governor’s office. The interview was the first Guiliano had conducted since the rumors surfaced. Guiliano also addressed his recent defection from the Republican party, saying he thought the G-O-P had drifted too far into the hand of social and religious conservatives. Guiliano left his post as president of The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation two weeks ago. He was a four-term mayor of Tempe from 1994 until 2004.

–Evan Schwartz