Former GOP Sen. Scott Brown has apparently decided not to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts left open by Sen. John Kerry, President Obama’s new Secretary of State, reported the Boston Globe.

His announcement was rather unusual; he texted the Boston Herald, “U are the first to know,” and later a spokesperson texted the paper, “Not running.”

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In a press statement released later, Brown said, “I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time.”

It’s now unclear who the GOP will turn to, although the Globe mentions former governor William Weld or former lieutenant governor Kerry Healey as potential candidates.

As far as the Democratic nomination is concerned, it appears that Reps. Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch will vie for the seat. Markey is favored, as he has more “high-profile backers,” more campaign money, and stronger credentials with the party, reported National Journal. Lynch, on the other hand, voted against the Affordable Care Act, which put him in hot water with labor unions, although he also opposed Republican attempts to repeal the act.

[Image via AFP]