US Senate Democratic leader Mr Tom Daschle of South Dakota announced today that he has decided not to run for president at the next election.
"I concluded that I want to be here in the Senate, making a difference for my state and my country," Mr Daschle said in a statement issued by his office.
Mr Daschle's announcement came as something of a surprise since he had been widely expected to join up to a half dozen or so other congressional Democrats in seeking their party's 2004 presidential nomination.
In fact, some fellow Democrats had already begun to jockey for position to replace him as the Senate's incoming minority leader.
