In this day of early campaign announcements, Idaho Senator Larry Craig, whose seat is up for election next year, has been holding back to a more normal schedule. And not just as a matter of form; he’s been saying nothing to tip his plans for running or opting out.

Dan Popkey at the Idaho Statesman has gotten into this, talking with people who know Craig and generating the general answer: “We have no idea what he’s going to do.” Our take-away from conversations with people who know Craig is that (though none claimed any kind of inside information) he would more likely run than not, mainly on grounds that the Senate is his life. We’d suspect that something in what Popkey heard gave a similar sound, because his conclusory “guess” is the same as ours: While good reasons for retirement exist and that certainly could happen, a re-up is more likely.

We’ll know in another month.