Former U.S. governor not to run for president in 2008

Mark Warner, the former governor of the eastern U.S. state of Virginia, said on Thursday that he would not seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

"I have decided not to run for president," Warner said in a statement posted on the Web site of his political action committee (PAC) "Forward Together."

He said the choice was not made based on whether he would win or lose. The decision not to run was a "difficult decision" but " the right decision" for him, he said.

"I know these moments are never going to come again," he said, but "at this point, I want to have a real life."

Warner did not rule out seeking public office in the future. "I want to serve, whether in elective office or in some other way. I' m still excited about the possibilities for the future," he said.

In the short-term, he said, he was going to do everything he could do make sure Democrats win in 2006.

Warner, 51, left the Virginia governorship in January this year. The state law bars incumbents from seeking re-election. After leaving the governor's office, Warner has traveled across the country to explore possibility of running for president in 2008.

Democratic Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York was widely considered the front-runner for the party's presidential nomination. Among those who might seek the party's nomination were Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, the presidential and vice presidential Democratic nominees for 2004.

Source: Xinhua