Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is the latest Democrat to decline a 2016 run for California’s open Senate seat.
Villaraigosa, who left office in 2013, announced his decision Tuesday — further clearing the field for Kamala Harris, the state’s attorney general.
“I am humbled by the encouragement I’ve received from so many to serve in the United States Senate,” Villaraigosa said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. “But as I think about how best to serve the people of this great state, I know that my heart and my family are here in California, not Washington, D.C.”
His decision comes after another of California’s top Democrats, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, also declined a bid. Instead, he’s mounting a bid for governor in 2018. When he left office, Villaraigosa said he wanted to seek the governor’s office, too.
His statement on Tuesday indicated he’s still considering that bid.
“I have decided not to run for the U.S. Senate and instead continue my efforts to make California a better place to live, work and raise a family. We have come a long way, but our work is not done, and neither am I,” he said.