Retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist '74 (R-Tenn.), who had been widely expected to make a White House run in 2008, said in a surprise announcement this morning that he will not seek the office.
"In the Bible, God tells us for everything there is a season, and for me, for now, this season of being an elected official has come to a close," Frist said in a statement issued by his office. "I do not intend to run for president in 2008."
"At this point a return to private life will allow me to return to my professional roots as a healer and to refocus my creative energies on innovative solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges Americans face," he added.
Frist's clout had been weakened earlier this month by the Republicans' poor showing in the midterm elections. The GOP lost six Senate seats, granting control of the chamber to the rival Democrats.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating Frist for more than a year over allegations of insider trading in shares of HCA Inc., a hospital chain founded by his family.
Though Frist has strongly denied any wrongdoing, most observers agree the senator had not managed to dispel the allegations as quickly as he would have hoped.
Earlier this year, Frist handily bested his fellow 2008 Republican presidential hopefuls in a straw poll conducted by the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.
With today's announcement, Frist becomes one of two recent high-profile campaign dropouts. Earlier this fall, popular former Gov. Mark Warner (D-Va.) also said he will not run for the presidency in 2008.
More to come.
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