Swift Donates State War Chest to Charity
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According The Boston Globe, the state's first woman governor has donated the remaining funds in the account, about $159,000, to DCF Kids, a nonprofit that provides assistance from child-care items to educational opportunities to some 45,000 foster chidren across the state.
She told The Globe, however, that while she hasn't ruled out running for Congress, it was "the right time" to close the state account.
The Berkshire County Republican unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, in 1996.
Children and education have the main focus of the mother of three, who volunteers regularly at Williamstown Elementary School and other activities with her daughters. She's an educational consultant and sits on the board of Sally Ride Science.
Elected lieutenant governor in 1998 and appointed acting governor when A. Paul Celucci stepped down to become ambassador to Canada, Swift had a short troubled term and was pushed aside when Mitt Romney became the darling of the state Republican Party.
Swift hasn't been completely out of the public eye since leaving office in 2002. She signed on early to Arizona Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign as an education adviser and headed the "truth squad" when his running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin came under fire. She also backed West Springfield businessman Nathan Bech in his unsuccessful bid to unseat Olver.
"It was really important to keep my political options open, all of them, after I left office," she told The Globe earlier this week. "... it's pretty clear to me from a personal and professional standpoint that a statewide campaign isn't in the near future."
