Scott Brown won’t run for Senate

In this Nov. 4, 2012, file photo, then-Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) waves to supporters from his bus after a campaign rally at Faneuil Hall in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)

Former Massachusetts Republican senator Scott Brown announced Friday that he will not run in the special election for outgoing Democratic Sen. John Kerry’s seat. Brown’s decision means Kerry’s seat is likely to remain in Democratic hands.

"...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," Brown said in a statement. "And I know it’s not the only way for me to advance the ideals and causes that matter most to me.

“That is why I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate in the upcoming special election.”