Bradley May Run Again Despite Illness

Buoyed by hopes for a longer life despite doctors’ diagnoses that he has terminal cancer, Republican Assemblyman Bill Bradley of San Marcos said Wednesday he is thinking of extending his political life as well.

Bradley, making his first public appearance since undergoing cancer surgery Nov. 8, said at a news conference that he is reconsidering his decision to quit the state Legislature when his current term ends next year.

“I feel perfectly healthy,” Bradley said. “It’s hard to believe I have a problem. I feel I am capable of living another 10 years. I feel great.”

Bradley’s political consultant, Herb Williams, told reporters at Bradley’s request two weeks ago that the assemblyman would complete his second term but not seek another. Williams said at the time that Bradley was told he could count on only another two years to live.

Bradley said Wednesday that doctors have not revised their prognosis since they removed a foot of his colon and implanted a hockey puck-sized pump in his abdomen to deliver chemotherapy directly to his liver.

But Bradley said he feels much stronger than he had expected. And he said he is heartened by reports that others have lived with the same kind of treatment for as long as eight years.

Other than some slight discomfort from the pump and the inconvenience of changing the way he sleeps, Bradley said he feels completely normal. He must report to a San Diego doctor every two weeks to have the pump refilled by an injection.

He said he will decide whether to run for reelection by mid-January.

Because the 76th District is considered a safe district for Republicans, Bradley said he does not feel pressed to rush his decision. He said party officials had not contacted him since he returned to San Diego on Saturday from Boston, where the surgery was performed.

“The district is 50% Republican,” he said. “There’s no chance of it falling to a Democrat. It’s just not practical for them to win in this district.”