Candice Miller declines U.S. Senate bid in Michigan

The Ticket

Michigan Republican Rep. Candice Miller on Friday announced she will not be a candidate in the race to succeed Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, who announced his decision to retire on Thursday.

An excerpt from Miller's statement, from the Detroit Free Press:

Since Sen. Levin's announcement I have heard from many friends and supporters inquiring about my interest in the U.S. Senate seat. While I am grateful for the interest people have shown, I will not be a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014. It is my sincere honor to serve the people of Michigan's 10th District in the United States House of Representatives and in 2014 it is my intention to seek their support for re-election.

Miller, a former Michigan secretary of state, had been regarded as a strong potential GOP candidate for Levin's seat because she has already run and won statewide.

The race to replace Levin, who was first elected to the Senate in 1978, remains in flux. But Levin's retirement has given Republicans an unexpected chance to compete for a seat that would have almost certainly remained in Democratic hands had he run for re-election.

Miller noted in her statement on Friday that Levin's announcement "came as a surprise to many Michiganians."