Bob Barr won’t run for old House seat

Former Libertarian Party presidential candidate and Republican Rep. Bob Barr (Ga.) will not seek a return to Congress after all.

Barr had been mulling a primary challenge to freshman Republican Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.), but told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he won’t run.

Graves has helped lead House freshmen against some of the GOP leadership’s priorities. Barr had a similarly fiery record in Congress: He was the first congressman to call for the impeachment of President Clinton.

Barr said he decided not to run because of the “24-7” nature of a campaign and his desire to focus on his law practice. In a statement, Graves praised the former congressman, calling him “a statesman, always fighting to empower the taxpayer.”