Beau Biden not running for U.S. Senate

    Delaware’s Attorney General Beau Biden says he will not run for his father’s old Senate seat, instead, Biden will run for reelection as Delaware’s Attorney General.

    Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden has decided not to run for his father’s former seat in the U.S. Senate.

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    In a letter to supporters posted on his campaign website, Biden says he has “a duty to fulfill as Attorney General- and the immediate need to focus on a case of great consequence,” a reference to a downstate pediatrician accused of sexually abusing patients.  Biden says he is “determined to see” that justice is done in the case against Dr. Earl Bradley.  “I have a job to finish.  And that is what I must do.”  Biden says over the last few weeks it became more and more clear that he needed to focus on the Bradley case, not running a Senate campaign.  “Ultimately it became a very, very straightforward decision in light of this matter.”  He says, “It was impossible to do both, and it was clear to me the one which I needed to choose.  This matter and my job trumps any potential race or campaign.”

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    Biden was elected Attorney General in 2006, but spent a year of his term in Iraq as a member of the Delaware National Guard.  He says he will run for reelection in 2010.

    Biden’s decision not to run leaves a big question mark for Democrats trying to hold on to a seat that Vice President Joe Biden held for more than three decades.  The Republican candidate, Congressman Mike Castle has been one of the most successful candidates in state history.  Castle says he respects Beau’s decision not to run, “The decision to run for the United States Senate is not only a political one, but also a very personal one.”

    The man appointed to fill the  seat vacated by Biden when he was elected vice president, Senator Ted Kaufman has said since the day he was appointed that he is not interested in running for the seat, and he repeated that decision today.  In a statement released shortly after Biden announced he would not run, Kaufman said, “I will continue to spend my time as Senator serving the people of Delaware and our nation and not running for office.  It is a commitment I made when appointed, and one I will fulfill.”

    Governor Jack Markell released a statement saying, “Beau Biden would have made a good candidate for senate, and maybe someday will be a candidate in the future.”  Markell also said he looked forward to helping Biden in his re-election bid for attorney-general.

    Now democrats are scrambling to figure out who will run for the democratic nomination in September and the chance to run against Mike Castle, the republican declared candidate.  One possible candidate is New Castle County executive Chris Coons.  He told politico.com he is seriously considering a run.  He says he is talking to his wife about how such a run would take shape.  He says he expects to have an announcement in “the next few days”.

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