(KMOX) - Former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced in a Tweet that he will not be running for the U.S. Senate seat in Missouri that will open next year.
“I am not running for U.S. Senate,” he said. “I choose a different path.”
Nixon, 65, has closed the door on a political comeback after much speculation he'd join this race. He is scheduled to headline a fundraiser for the Clay County Democratic Party next week. He’d been talking to longtime aides, friends and acquaintances, gaming out the 2022 landscape and weighing his options, according to the Missouri Independent.
“I always thrived on policy more than politics,” he said. “My post-governor involvement on a myriad of matters is not filtered through a partisan lens — that is liberating and I want it to continue.”
Nixon was considered the top Democrat to compete for the seat that will open when Republican U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt retires. The race on the Republican side includes former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, Attorney General Eric Schmitt, attorney Mark McCloskey, U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler and others.
Nixon says he will focus on practicing law and teaching at Washington University Law School.
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