Deciding whether to run for office can be very difficult, even for experienced politicians. In a high-profile example, New York Governor Mario Cuomo opted not to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. A sex scandal drove frontrunner Gary Hart from the race, thereby clearing the path for Cuomo, but he decided that the time was not right for his candidacy. Four years later, Cuomo was again projected the clear favorite in a relatively weak Democratic field. James Carville, who managed Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, thought Cuomo “would have been hell in a Democratic primary.” Cuomo was not convinced. He was concerned that his failure to pass a budget for New York State would make it difficult to sell his economic program to America. On December 21, 1991, Cuomo made the tortured decision to leave his airplane waiting on the tarmac to take him to New Hampshire. He decided against announcing his candidacy or seeking the nomination.

Louise Slaughter's ultimate decision to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives was similarly difficult. Linda Fowler and Robert McClure (1989) describe in riveting detail the process by which Slaughter, a Democratic New York state legislator, decided not to enter the 1984 congressional race. Strong support within the local party organization, high name recognition, and enthusiastic backing from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and several prominent national political action committees meant that she could have had her party's nomination without a primary (103).