Senor Opts Out of Race Against Gillibrand

Dan Senor, a financial executive and former spokesman for the U.S. military effort in Iraq, announced Wednesday he would not run for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

In a statement, Senor, 38, said he had seriously considered entering the race and still believed it was winnable for Republicans. "I ultimately decided this wasn't the right time in my family and business life for me to run," he said.

Senor, a frequent Fox News contributor, is married to CNN anchor Campbell Brown. The couple have two young sons.

Senor was chief civilian spokesman in Baghdad in 2003 after the Iraq War began, making him a familiar face to many television viewers at the time. National Republicans were enthusiastic about his candidacy, believing his business and foreign policy credentials would make him a strong challenger to Gillibrand.

Senor had begun to assemble a campaign team that included operatives from Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential bids, and Republican officials believed he would announce his candidacy this week. But Senor began calling supporters Tuesday, telling them he'd concluded he didn't have enough time to put together a campaign and raise the money necessary to win.

Gillibrand, a former House member from upstate New York, was appointed by Gov. David Paterson to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate after President Barack Obama selected Clinton to be secretary of state. Polls have suggested Gillibrand could be vulnerable to a strong challenge, but several candidates who considered running against her have opted out.