This sounds strange and a bit scary, but it's true.

As of 12:05 p.m. Jan. 5, 2010, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero became the frontrunner for the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination.

Lt. Gov. John Cherry announced he couldn't raise the money to be Michigan's 48th governor. That left only four people standing: a waffling conservative House speaker, a pair of candidates whose campaigns haven't crossed 2 percent in eight months and Bernero. And that's assuming former Michigan State University football coach George Perles isn't serious, which it doesn't appear he is.

It's not exactly a deep bench, and it doesn't seem to be getting any deeper with candidates who could give Virg a serious run.

Hours after Cherry's announcement, one state senator filed for a gubernatorial bid, and the Genesee County treasurer said he's thinking about it.

Ideally, Democrats would love to see a non-traditional candidate fill the Cherry void. Maybe their own independently wealthy candidate with some business background. But who?

Former U.S. Rep. David Bonior said he's not in, and former Gov. Jim Blanchard told me he's not thinking about it and doesn't plan on thinking about it. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, has consistently said she's not interested.

Former Wayne County Prosecutor Mike Duggan has an unbreakable contract and a huge salary with the Detroit Medical Center and isn't available.

What about U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee? And give up a lifetime job? Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer isn't interested, leaving Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano as the only legitimate maybe.

Shoot, we still don't know if the aforementioned House Speaker Andy Dillon, a former Republican, is interested in running.

No, as of right now, Bernero is the biggest fish in a very large pond. He knows it, and he's loving it. He said his cell phone is "blowing up" as interest in his inevitable campaign balloons.

When asked before his swearing-in ceremony for his second term as mayor on Tuesday how he sees his chances now that Cherry is out, he responded:

"I think my chances are pretty good. I think they were pretty good in the first place, that's why I'm looking at it," Bernero said. "Obviously, John Cherry's exit from the governor's race is a game changer. It's a positive sign, and if I do choose to run, I'd love to have Lt. Gov. Cherry's support."

That could change tomorrow if a bigname candidate jumps into the ring, but every day that goes by without someone else getting into the race makes Bernero's chances of being the Democratic nominee that much greater.

It helps that the traditional manufacturing union groups aren't opposed to Bernero. Despite his well-documented tensions with city employee bargaining units, the UAW still endorsed him, and his national support for the plight of workers during the auto industry meltdown last year was seen from sea to shining sea on cable TV.

Unlike Cherry, Bernero loves to campaign. He doesn't mind picking up the phone to raise money. He loves giving speeches, shaking hands, kissing babies. He's good at it.

Also unlike Cherry and Dillon, Bernero can run against the state government establishment in Lansing. He balanced budgets in Lansing without raising taxes. He can say he made development happen in Michigan. And he can do it all without a Gov. Jennifer Granholm albatross tied around his neck.

People across the state don't know much about Bernero, but he's right when he says that it will give him an opportunity to define himself.

The Michigan Republican Party is already trying to beat him to the punch. In a press release issued today, the GOP have Bernero topping their short-list of "minor league" candidates seeking the nomination.

They describe Bernero as "a career politician, who bounced from county commission to state House to state Senate then to mayor to escape term limits. He is referred to as 'America's Angriest Mayor.' A major Granholm supporter, he has a near perfect voting record in support of the Granholm Administration. Think Howard DEAN meets Nancy PELOSI."

That's creative, but thin. Nearly everybody on the GOP side has been in politics as long as Virg if not longer. Bernero had to vote with Granholm for all of about three years. It's a bit different than serving as the Gov's wingman for eight years.

In the meantime, Bernero is sharing the stage with Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, D-Salem Twp., and former Rep. John Freeman. Since last February, neither has generated much support.

State Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, said today he's getting in. It's the same Clarke who finished fourth in the Detroit mayoral primary four years ago.

It's Bernero's time to make his case for governor while the stage is basically all his. We'll see what he does with the opportunity.

Engler house hunting In Michigan

Former Gov. John Engler and his wife have been house-hunting in the mid-Michigan area, multiple sources have told MIRS, raising the speculation that Gov. Jennifer Granholm's predecessor could be trying to establish residency in the Mitten State for a run at U.S. Senate seat in 2012.

Engler lives in Washington, where he makes a reported seven-figure salary with the National Association of Manufacturers. Engler's triplets are freshmen in high school — all three of them attending different schools.

Engler could always run for the Senate without yanking his girls from schools, but there's question as to whether Michelle Engler, or John for that matter, wants to get back into the political fray.

All the while, scuttlebutt is turning up of U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, taking a stab at the U.S. Senate seat of Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing. Rogers may be redistricted out of his congressional seat in two years, and pitting a mid-Michigan Republican against Stabenow could neutralize her support in the Lansing area.

(Kyle Melinn is news editor of the capital newsletter MIRS. E-mail him at melinn@ lansingcitypulse.com.)