Massachusetts Rep. John Tierney, a favorite of the House Democratic leadership, has decided against running in the special election for the Senate seat left vacant by the Aug. 25 death of Democrat Edward M. Kennedy.
"A great number of people have kindly urged me to run for the United States Senate," Tierney said in a statement released Monday morning. "I have given the matter serious consideration and determined that, at this time, I can best be of service in the U.S. House of Representatives -- continuing to work to make education more affordable and accessible, to build and strengthen our nation's workforce, to enact meaningful health care reform and to ensure we have a pragmatic foreign policy."
He continued, "These and other serious matters must be addressed in the coming weeks and months and they, along with my constituents, warrant my full attention."
Tierney is in his seventh term representing Massachusetts' 6th District, located in suburbs north of Boston. Consistently an easy winner in his House elections, he is strongly favored for re-election in 2010.
Tierney's decision brought further clarity to the field for the Dec. 8 primary, the prelude to the Jan. 19 special election that will fill the vacant seat through 2012.
The field has taken shape quickly in the short weeks since Kennedy, a senator since 1962 and member of a famed family political dynasty, died of brain cancer. Massachusetts is generally a Democratic stronghold, and the party's primary appears to be more crowded than the Republicans.
State Attorney General Martha Coakley has made her candidacy official. Michael E. Capuano and Steven F. Lynch -- two incumbents from the state's 10-member, all-Democratic U.S. House delegation -- have also taken out state paperwork that indicates that are planning to run.
The front-runner for the Republican nomination is state Sen. Scott P. Brown, who announced his candidacy Saturday.
Several big names have taken themselves out of the running, including Democratic Reps. Edward J. Markey, Richard E. Neal and Barney Frank, along with two members of the Kennedy family: former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, the late senator's nephew and a son of the late New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the senator's widow.
Choosing the sidelines on the Republican side are former Gov. Mitt Romney, former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, and Andrew Card, a former chief of staff to President George W. Bush.
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