Richmnd, VA (140wrva.com) _  Virginia Senator Mark Warner announced Tuesday afternoon that while he loved being Governor of Virginia he will not be running in 2013.

In a statement Warner said:

“Over the last year, a lot of Virginians – Democrats, Republicans, and independents – have approached me and asked that I consider running for Governor a second time. 

 Believe me, being Governor was the best job I ever had.  I was so proud that we were able to bring folks together, put partisanship aside, and together we moved Virginia forward. 

 When folks approached me about running for a second term as Governor, I told them two things: first, I felt that it was better to make a final decision after the 2012 elections.  And second, I said I would give it serious, heartfelt consideration – and I have. 

 I’ve talked to a lot of Virginians I respect, and I’ve talked about it with my family. 

 But when I asked Virginians to hire me as their Senator, I made a promise to come to Washington to try to be a problem solver.  I have to admit, it’s been tougher than I expected.  But I’ve tried to keep at it. 

 It’s what I’ve been trying to do through my bipartisan work to fix our debt and deficits.  And you know, I’m actually more optimistic by the day that we’ll be able to get it done. 

 But even if we avoid the fiscal cliff, we still have much more important work to do here in Washington:  immigration reform, improvements to education. We still need a 21^st century energy plan, and we still have a lot more work to do to strengthen the economic recovery."

Senator Mark Warner