U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd has decided against running for U.S. Senate. In an interview, Boyd said he liked his job in the House too much to leave it, and he will seek reelection to an eighth term in November 2010. But he also would have faced a difficult Democratic primary fight, being little known outside north Florida..

"As you know, these decisions usually resolve around a very complex set of factors, and I've tried to weigh all of those, and my wife and I and my son have talked about it extensively together, and that's the decision that I made," Boyd said.

A conservative and influential leader of the Blue Dog Democrats in Congress, Boyd could have been a significant factor in a Democratic primary dominated by south Florida liberals. But he also happens to be in the center of things in the Democratic-controlled U.S. House, and his announcement today won't surprise a lot of Democrats who had doubted his stomach for giving that up for a Senate bid.

"I'm a plodder in a lot of ways," Boyd said. "I knew when I came here that I want to be here for awhile and that my effectiveness would depend on my ability to build relationships and networks here in the U.S. House... I feel like I've done that effectively....Not to downplay the significance of the U.S. Senate and that position, but if I were to go there it would be, in a way, starting over."

---Wes Allison

U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, is also seriously looking at the race, where the Democratic primary now includes state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach and U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami. Boyd's announcement means Democrats could have a field free of anyone living north of Boca, and will likely increase the pressure on Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio to jump in.