Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush Says He Will Not Run For Senate

January 7, 2009 2:11 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother of the outgoing president, said on Tuesday he was not running for the seat of retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) despite statements from both President George W. Bush and former President George H. W. Bush, his father, saying they hoped he would enter the race.

"After thoughtful consideration, I have decided not to run for the United States Senate in 2010,'' Bush said in a statement, according to the Tribune politics blog, the Swamp. "While the opportunity to serve my state and country during these turbulent and dynamic times is compelling, now is not the right time to return to elected office."

"I hope to play a constructive role in the future of the Republican Party,'' he added. "We must rebuild the Party by focusing on the common purposes and core conservative principles that unite us all - limited government, a strong national defense and safe homeland and the protection of liberty tempered by personal responsibility... We must raise the level of debate to reflect the American people's desire for change and bi-partisanship, embodied by November's historic election. President-elect Obama ran a tremendous campaign and I am proud to call him my President."

Bush, the younger brother of the 43rd president, was limited by Florida's term-limits law to run for a third term as governor after he left office January last year. He was considered the GOP's best chance to keep the seat in the Senate.

Potential Republican contenders for the seat include state attorney general Bill McCollum, a former U.S. congressman, and former state House speaker Marco Rubio.

Martinez, who served as Housing and Urban Development secretary under President George W. Bush, announced last month that he will not seek reelection in 2010. The President had, in response to the announcement, praised the senator for a "distinguished career," then later pushed the idea that his brother should run for Martinez's seat.

Bush's father, the former president, told Fox over the weekend he would make an "outstanding" senator if he ran for the seat. The 41st president then said, "I'd like to see him run. I'd like to see him be president some day... Right now is probably a bad time, because we've got enough Bushes in there. [But he is] as qualified and as able as anyone I know in the political scene."