Brown opts out of run for Mass. governor

Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) said Wednesday night he will not run for Massachusetts governor in 2014. 

Brown said he wanted to remain in the private sector, noting that another run for public office would take a lot of “thought, analysis, money and sometimes personal sacrifice.”

{mosads}“I have been fortunate to have private sector opportunities that I find fulfilling and exhilarating,” Brown said in a statement on his Facebook page. “These new opportunities have allowed me to grow personally and professionally. I want to continue with that process.”  

Brown had previously said he would make a decision by Labor Day. 

After his Senate reelection loss last year, Brown said he spent the first summer in 15 years with his family.

Brown had left the door open to a run for governor and possibly another Senate race after his loss to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in 2012. 

A former state senator, Brown won a special election to fill the seat left open by former Sen. Edward Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) death in 2010.

Brown recently visited the Iowa State Fair, an early proving ground for potential presidential candidates. In a recent interview, he said he was curious if there was an interest in a run in 2016.

“I want to get an indication of whether there’s even an interest, in Massachusetts and throughout the country, if there’s room for a bipartisan problem solver,” Brown told the Boston Herald. “It’s 2013 — I think it’s premature, but I am curious. There’s a lot of good name recognition in the Dakotas and here. That’s pretty good.”

On Wednesday, however, he closed the door, for now, on another statewide run. 

“Tonight I announced that I will not be running for Governor of MA in 2014,” he said. “As I said, I am grateful for your encouragement and support.”