Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced on national television today that he would not be running for California governor in 2010 after flirting with a bid for higher office for months.

While Antonio cited time with the family and the pressures that LA is facing, he didn’t have a serious chance to win anyhow, given his lackluster style, his personal problems, and his overall inability to stand up to former Gov. Moonbeam in a debate. So farewall, Antonio, we’ll miss you.

I’d like to see the race come down to Brown vs. Tom Campbell. I’m a long-time fan of both of them, and would like to see a substantive campaign between two genuine wonks just once in my life.

It’s going to be a hard road for Campbell because he’s up against two rich dabblers, Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner, who can finance their campaigns with pocket change. If they’re patriots, they’ll follow Antonio’s lead and drop out for the sake of the state.