Kansas Senator Sam Brownback will make it official Thursday. CNN.com reports Brownback will announce he plans to leave the Senate in 2010.
The move is not unexpected. Brownback is widely believed to be considering a run for governor.
Brownback is the second Republican senator to state he’s leaving Congress. Florida Senator Mel Martinez also announced plans to leave.
Brownback unsuccessfully ran for the GOP presidential nomination this year.
Brownback won a special election to fill the rest of Bob Dole’s senate term in 1996. Dole resigned to run for president, a race he lost. Brownback won election to a full term in 1998 and a second term in 2004. At the time, he said he would not seek a third-term.
If he decides to run for governor, Brownback will face competition from Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh. He is currently raising money as he explores his own campaign for governor.
Governor Kathleen Sebelius cannot run for a third-term under Kansas law. After dropping out of contention for a place in Barack Obama’s cabinet to focus on the economic problems in Kansas, Sebelius is believed to considering a run for the Senate in 2010.
So, Brownback keeps his word – becoming a rather rare politician – and will now try for governor, while the current governor may vie to replace him. Kansas could end up being very interesting in 2010.
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