Former Wyoming U.S. Attorney Matt Mead formed an exploratory committee Thursday to run for the Republican primary nomination for governor in 2010, he said later in the day.

"The decision to move forward is a weighty one," Mead told the monthly meeting of the Natrona County Republican Women.

"We love the state, the land and the people," he said.

During his speech, Mead cited the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the recession, and the recent GOP gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey as reasons voters want the nation to take a different direction than the one offered by the Obama administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress.

In response to a question, Mead also said he believes in the principles of the state GOP's platform, but that does not mean he will literally agree with every word of it. "We should commit to the spirit of it."

Mead, 47, grandson of the late Gov. and two-term U.S. Sen. Cliff Hansen, is the third Republican to create an exploratory committee, which enables him to raise and spend money in an effort to determine if he wants to run for the Aug. 17 primary. If he wins his party's nomination, he will run for office in the Nov. 2 general election.

The other Republicans with exploratory committees are former state Rep. Ron Micheli of Fort Bridger, who formed his committee in March, and current House Speaker Colin Simpson of Cody, who formed his committee in August, according to the Wyoming secretary of state's Web site.

No Democrats have formed exploratory committees. Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal still has the ongoing committee he formed in November 2001 in anticipation of his 2002 campaign, according to the secretary of state.

Freudenthal has not announced whether he will seek a third term that would mean a successful legal challenge to the term limits law, which would end his eight-year tenure at the end of 2010.

After his talk, Mead said whatever Freudenthal decides does not affect his own fledgling campaign.

"It is not a casual exploration," Mead said. "It is a serious move to announce a candidacy in 2010."

He intends to spend the next several months touring the state to test the political winds, but he won't conduct an active fundraising campaign until after the winter holiday season, he said.

"I don't believe campaigns should be as lengthy as they are," Mead said.

He has formed his own Web site at meadforgovernor.com.

Mead's candidacy would carry on a family tradition of political service.

Besides his grandfather, who died last month at age 97, his mother, Mary Mead, unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1990 against incumbent Gov. Mike Sullivan. In 1996, Mary Mead died in horse riding accident while driving cattle in Grand Teton National Park near their family ranching operation in Spring Gulch.

Matt Mead neither denied his family background nor his independence.

"I have great pride in my family," he said. "I represent myself as Matt Mead; the voters are deciding on Matt, that's fair."

Mead grew up in the Jackson area, earned an undergraduate degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, and a law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law.

He was an assistant U.S. attorney in Cheyenne from 1990 to 1993 until family issues forced him to return to the family's ranch in Jackson Hole, where he served as a special assistant to the U.S. attorney's office.

In 1996, Mead moved back to Cheyenne, where he practiced civil law.

In 2001, he was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the U.S. attorney in Wyoming. He followed Freudenthal, who resigned from the post earlier that year.

In June 2007, Mead resigned from the job after the death of U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas. Mead was among 26 Republicans who ran in a special GOP convention election to complete the remainder of Thomas' term. Mead came in fourth, so he was not among the three finalists chosen by the party. Of the three finalists, Freudenthal selected John Barrasso, who was in attendance at the Thursday meeting of the Republican Women's group.

Besides his legal work, Mead has a ranch in Albany County and a farm in Goshen County.

He and his wife, Carol, have two children.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at tom.morton@trib.com.