Rep. West on possibly running in Georgia: 'No'

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) on Wednesday shot down an invitation to run for office in Georgia.

In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, West turned down the offer from Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart. 

"No," West told the Atlanta newspaper on Wednesday. "Look, let me tell you something. I have moved my wife around for 20-some-odd years, being in the military, and she was also the daughter of a career military guy. When I retired, she chose Florida. That’s where my daughter’s in school, in college, my youngest daughter’s in high school. That’s our home. It’s a very nice thing, but I’m not an NFL free agent."

Previously, in a separate interview with the Journal-Constitution, Everhart said she would "be glad to have him come back to Georgia and at some point run here."

West was born and raised in the state.

The Tea Party favorite, though, is refusing to concede his election, which showed him losing his seat to Democrat Patrick Murphy. On Tuesday he filed a complaint in a Florida court demanding a recount of ballots in St. Lucie County, Fla. West's campaign has maintained that not every ballot in his district has been properly counted. 

The last count of all the votes for West's district showed Murphy leading West by at least 2,000 votes.

On Wednesday the Florida congressman's campaign criticized Murphy for attending a new House member event on Capitol Hill. 

"I think it is premature of him," West campaign manager Tim Edson said during a conference call on Wednesday. "I understand he would like to move on and wrap this up, but for someone who claims to be certified public accountant, you would expect him to be a little more concerned about the shifting numbers and the inaccuracies of these numbers."

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