Rep. Tom Latham, Iowa Republican, said he won’t seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin after all.
Mr. Latham is a 10-term congressman who was widely thought to be a solid candidate for the retiring Mr. Harkin’s slot, The Associated Press reported. He announced Wednesday, however, he could not “in good conscience launch a two-year statewide campaign that will detract from the commitment” he made to constituents to fulfill his congressional duties back in November.
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Iowa Republicans, including Gov. Terry Branstad, had hit hard for Mr. Latham to run, AP reported.
His decision opens the door to Rep. Steve King, however, AP reports. Mr. King, a strong conservative, said previously he was interested in the Senate seat — but not so much in a primary fight with Mr. Latham.
On Wednesday, Mr. King hadn’t yet settled on his next move.
“It’s too big a decision to be rushed,” he said in the AP report.
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Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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