As Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard prepares for his third run for governor, his old nemesis is considering doing likewise.

Can you say, J. Fife Symington III for governor?

Symington, who governed the state from 1991 to 1997 before legal troubles forced him from office, told The Arizona Republic on Friday that he's "thinking seriously" about running for governor once more in 2010.

The Democrat Goddard and Republican Symington faced-off in a political classic in 1990, with Symington topping Goddard in a general election so close that a runoff was required. Four years later, both men again ran for governor. This time, though, Goddard was defeated in the Democratic primary by Eddie Basha, and Symington went on to win re-election.

Symington re-asserted himself on the political scene in recent months with his vocal opposition to Republican Gov. Jan Brewer's proposal to temporarily increase the state sales tax. Reached Friday by The Republic in Santa Barbara, Calif., Symington said the tax issue, poor economy and the state's general dysfunction in dealing with the budget have all led him to seriously ponder another run at the Governor's Office.

"I'm really upset about what's happening," Symington said. "We're going to get ourselves in a lot of trouble. I don't think we're pursuing the right ways to get ourselves out of trouble.

"We could be doing so much better. We could be laying the framework for a brighter future. You don't do that by raising taxes."

Symington went on to say that he's "very interested" in running for governor next year. Brewer, for her part, has not indicated whether she plans to seek a full, four-year term in the 2010 election, though she recent told The Republic that she's "leaning" toward doing so.

If Symington does run, his past figures to be a focal point of the campaign. And not just his political past.

In 1997, Symington resigned from office - as required by state law - immediately after being convicted by a federal jury of bank and wire fraud. His conviction was later overturned on appeal, and President Clinton pardoned him in early 2001.

"My record is clean," Symington said. "I won at the end of the day."