Evans Assumed Hooley Would Run Again

There has been speculation that Paul Evans knew about Rep. Hooley’s retirement in advance, fueled both by conversations Evans has had about the possibility of running for a number of local offices, as well as his wife’s position as Hooley’s Chief of Staff.

“I’ve had conversations about future positions all across the map, but Darlene is a friend of mine, and any supposition that I knew ahead of time and encouraged her not to run, or that my wife violated that trust, is frustrating to me,” Evans said.

He noted that over the course of the past couple of months, he has spoken about running for a seat in District 20 and Superintendent of Schools, among others.

“A lot of good-willed people took bits and pieces of what I was talking about and put together a composite picture,” he said in response to the rumors that he has long known about the Congresswoman’s announcement.

Evans also stated that when he became aware of the speculation regarding what the Hooley would do, he told his wife, Joan Mooney Evans, not to tell him whatever she knew.

In fact, he said, until very recently, he had been telling people Hooley would run for re-election, based on his personal belief that she would not leave Congress in a year like 2008.