Hours after The Boston Herald reported he was “leaning strongly” towards a Senate bid, Brown reportedly texted the newspaper that “U are the first to know” that he will not run.
The Washington Post also reported a similar scoop, citing Republican sources close to Brown.
UPDATE: The Herald updated its post with a summary of Brown’s official reasons for opting out:
Brown said in a statement this afternoon that being in the Senate was “the greatest privilege” of his life — after the marriage to his wife and the birth of his two daughters — but he’s not ready for a third Senate campaign “in less than four years.”“Over these past few weeks I have given serious thought about the possibility of running again, as events have created another vacancy requiring another special election. I have
received a lot of encouragement from friends and supporters to become a candidate, and my competitive instincts were leading in the same direction,” Brown wrote.“Even so, I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time. And I know it’s not the only way for me to advance the ideals and causes that matter most to me,” he added.
[h/t Boston Herald]