Controversial Va. Senator Won't Run Again

RICHMOND, Feb. 22 -- Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr., a flamboyant Republican from Winchester, announced today that he will not seek reelection to the Virginia Senate this year.

Potts, 67, is best known for his colorful floor speeches, his penchant for bucking the conservative wing of his party and a failed, independent bid for governor in 2005.

In a tearful floor speech, he told his colleagues that, after 16 years, it is time to travel with his wife and spend more time with his grandchildren. Potts also alluded to what he views as the unfortunate movement of the Republican Party to the far right.

"The definition of a, quote, 'real Republican', has been altered so much that we can barely recognize what a Reagan or Eisenhower Republican looks like," Potts said. "Though we are a vanishing breed, there are still a few of us left who believe in governing from the middle."

Potts would have faced a tough and well-funded primary challenge in his Republican-leaning district, which includes Winchester, Clark and Frederick counties and parts of Loudoun and Fauquier.

His departure removes one of the Senate's leading moderates, a Republican who regularly cast the deciding vote against abortion restrictions as chairman of the Senate's Education and Health Committee. In fact, Potts had at least as many friends among Democrats as Republicans.

Said Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax), after Potts' speech: "He's flamboyant. He's lively. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He drives people crazy. He's a reporter's dream. He's one of a kind. We're never going see one like him again."