'It’s a big decision, and I’m going to look at it very carefully and thoughtfully,' Camp said. Camp weighing Michigan Senate bid

GOP Rep. Dave Camp is considering a possible Senate run in Michigan in 2014, a move that could put in play another Democratic seat heading into next year’s midterm elections.

Camp has met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) about the race, he said in an interview.


“I have talked to McConnell,” Camp told POLITICO on Tuesday. “I’m looking at it.”

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“It’s a big decision, and I’m going to look at it very carefully and thoughtfully,” Camp added. The Michigan Republican said he did not have any timeline for getting into the race.

Camp, who just turned 60, is the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, but he is term-limited in that post and will have to step down from that position at the end of this Congress.

The Michigan Republican is also a strong fundraiser and has more than $3 million the bank as of June 30, according to his most recent campaign disclosure report.

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Camp has been working closely with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to craft a major tax-reform proposal, with the two even going on the road together in joint appearances to support their efforts to reshape the U.S. tax code. So far, they’ve appeared together at events in Minnesota and New Jersey.

However, if Camp were to get into the Michigan Senate race, it could have a negative effect on his efforts with Baucus, Democrats say.

With Democratic Sen. Carl Levin retiring, Senate Republicans are looking for a top-tier candidate for the race but have not coalesced behind any of the hopefuls yet.

( Also on POLITICO: Max Baucus tax reform push at risk)

Terri Lynn Land, a former Michigan secretary of state, in already in the race and has begun drawing Democratic attacks. The NRSC met with a Michigan judge, Kim Small, about the seat this month.

But GOP Rep. Justin Amash, who has also considered jumping into the race, predicts it will be difficult for any Republican to win in the Wolverine State next year.

“Otherwise it becomes a very difficult battle and it’s already a difficult battle, no matter what,” Amash said at GOP event over the weekend. “This is a Democratic state, still, and for a Republican to win a Senate race you have to have a very good year for Republicans….”

Rep. Gary Peters is the presumptive Democratic nominee and has performed well in hypothetical matchups with potential GOP opponents in recent polls. But Camp could present a formidable challenge for Peters.

Camp was first elected to the House in 1990 after stints as a congressional aide and a state lawmaker. A low-key, pro-business Republican with close ties to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Camp became chairman of the Ways and Means panel in 2008, jumping over the more senior Wally Herger (R-Calif.).

Camp was a key player on the 1996 welfare reform bill. He also supported the Medicare Part D expansion pushed by President George W. Bush and then Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) in 2003. He backed the Bush tax cuts, as well as GOP efforts to privatize Social Security, both of which are likely Democratic lines of attack in any Senate run.

Yet, Camp has also worked with Democrats to expand education tax-credits and scholarships for low-income students.

Camp announced in July 2012 that he was being treated for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After receiving chemotherapy - and losing all his hair - Camp said in February that he was cancer-free.