In the final gubernatorial debate, Saxton was asked about his statement that he is "not running for Governor to deal with global warming."

Saxton said that his comment in the earlier speech had been taken out of context, that the group had been speaking about the duties of the Governor and where the Governor could have the greatest impact.

Well, we were able to track down the tape of that appearance and Saxtonwatch now provides you with his full answer. You decide for yourself:

Here is the transcript of Saxton's assertion that he was being taken out of context:

BOB HUNTER: Governor, in September, Mr. Saxton spoke for a business group. In that talk, he told the crowd – and I’m quoting here – to be really blunt with you, I’m not running for Governor to deal with global warming. But there seems to be a growing consensus, even in the federal government, that global warming is real. Is this something that the Governor should be expected to grapple with or not?

[..]

RON SAXTON: I do. That’s, you know, one of the things that happens when you take a single line out of a longer speech. ...What I was talking about when I made the comment you quoted was, we were speaking about the duties of the Governor and what is it the Governor has to do the most about? Where can the Governor have the greatest impact? And the truth is, while global warming is important and an issue that needs to be addressed, the Governor has a much greater impact when we’re talking about education for our students, what are we going to do to deal with public safety in our state, what are we doing to deal with the business climate here. So in relative terms, my comment was where can a Governor make a real difference? It wasn’t in any way to show a lack of concern for global warming.