Former Governor Bill Haslam has decided not to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Lamar Alexander.
He did so in a statement in the Nashville Tennessean.
The former Knoxville mayor said it was "the most difficult vocational decision in my life."
He said he was sorry the decision had taken so long, but said he had been struggling with which path to take.
Senator Alexander said, “Bill Haslam would be a terrific United States senator, but he has served Tennessee well and unselfishly for 15 years as governor and as mayor of Knoxville, and I can completely understand his desire to take a different direction with his life.”
U.S. Rep. Mark Green also announced he will not run for the U.S. Senate.