Balfour out of Ga. House race

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Georgia Republican State Sen. Don Balfour announced Thursday evening he’s dropping his bid to succeed retiring Rep. John Linder. The Senate Rules Committee chairman was the first candidate to enter the race after Linder announced last month he wouldn’t run again and was considered a leading GOP contender in the conservative district.

“Being a Congressman has been something I thought I wanted to do. Needless to say, when John Linder announced that he was not running for re-election, I jumped at the opportunity to be the new voice of leadership. However, for the past three weeks, I have not been at peace about this decision,” Balfour said in his statement.

Balfour also announced he wouldn’t seek reelection to his state Senate seat this fall either.

Former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed also passed on the race earlier this month. State Rep. Clay Cox has announced his candidacy, but the filing deadline isn’t until April 30th ahead of the July 20th primary.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34672.html