Just days after her surprise move in pulling out of the governor's race, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton said she has no plans to run for re-election.

She stopped short of saying she is leaving politics altogether.

"I don't know that anyone who has ever been in it says that they are totally, forever out of politics," Lawton said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I have no idea. I have 14 months to serve in this office, which I have been proud to serve for these last seven years, and I look forward to a very active 14 months. There's lots that can be done and needs to be done."

Her decision to take herself out of the running was for "very personal reasons," which she has refused to elaborate on since she made the announcement Monday in an e-mail message to supporters.

Speculation has been rampant.

Political insiders say it is likely a combination of factors, including that her poll numbers and fundraising efforts might have been lower than expected, coupled with a rumor that White House operatives have encouraged Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to seek the Democratic nomination.

She rejected those notions.

"This decision was entirely personal and pivoted on me and my read of where I was and what was the right thing for me to do for me, for my family and the people I employed," Lawton said.

But the most outlandish claim came from Green Bay radio talk show host Jerry Bader, who was taken off the air last week for alleging Lawton had an open marriage with her husband of 35 years. Bader is under a two-week suspension from the airwaves for his faulty and damaging allegations.

"I want that story to die," Lawton said.

On Friday, Bader reported on his blog that he learned through a Lawton representative that she had accepted his written apology. The post said, "…and she hopes 'this can be the end of it.'"

Still, her sudden exit has left political analysts scratching their heads — especially since she announced her intention to run in mid-August, the day after Gov. Jim Doyle said he would not seek a third term. She had been attracting endorsements, and an upcoming fundraiser had been planned in Green Bay.

"She has not clarified why she chose to end a campaign that seemed so promising, and it was a position she had been seeking for some time," said Michael Kraft, professor of political science and Herbert Fisk Johnson professor in environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. "So to say that it's a personal or family issue, is this something that's new? Why wasn't that an issue earlier?"

When asked if her reason for dropping out might become clearer over time, she said, "Any time you make a decision that is complex and has all sorts of factors involved, they reveal themselves over time — or don't. But there's always that possibility that certain aspects of what I am reading as the tea leaves today may be visible to other people at another time. But, for me, living in that situation, I have to read the landscape in front of me and do what is the responsible thing for me and my family and the people I employed."

Lawton said she plans to focus on economic development in her remaining time in office.

"It's been a tremendous privilege and an amazing opportunity" being lieutenant governor. But as for walking away,

"That decision was entirely mine, and that's that."