Candice Miller won't run for Levin's Senate seat

Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) won't run for retiring Sen. Carl Levin's (D-Mich.) seat, she announced Friday.

"Since Senator 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," she said in a statement. "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 reelection."

Levin announced his retirement on Thursday. Republicans are hopeful they can pick up the seat with the right candidate, though the state leans Democratic in federal races.

Miller, a strong fundraiser with a fairly centrist voting record who has represented a suburban Detroit district for a decade, could have been a strong candidate for the party statewide. But she recently became a committee chair in the House and is close to leadership, which may have influenced her decision not to run.

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