At least one Republican has decided not to run for the 2016 presidential nomination.
Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said in an interview on Wednesday with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that a 2016 campaign “won’t be in the cards.” He said lack of funding and his responsibilities on the House Homeland Security and Intelligence committees had pushed him towards this decision.
Though King said he “could more than compete with any” of the existing candidates, he said he doesn’t “want to be taking up other people’s time” by joining the already quite full GOP field.
He admitted his initial interest in running was fueled by his dislike for many of the declared candidates, singling out Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). King has attacked the two Senators publicly before, saying they are not “responsible adults,” and couldn’t resist slinging a few barbs in their direction during his announcement.
“Rand Paul and Ted Cruz were monopolizing the airwaves; they were getting out what they thought was their Republican message. I wanted to counter that,” King said. “For most of those in the race, I wish them well.”
