Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) is likely to run in the upcoming special election to replace outgoing Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the Associated Press reports.
According to the AP report, Republican officials close to the former senator say that Brown is "leaning strongly toward running" in the race to replace Kerry, who was confirmed as the new U.S. secretary of state by the Senate on Tuesday.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is set to choose an interim replacement for Kerry on Wednesday.
Brown was first elected in 2010 in a special election to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. In 2012, he he lost his reelection bid to consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren. With Kerry's exit from Congress, Warren is now the state's senior senator.
So far, only Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) has officially announced his candidacy for the seat. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) is also mulling a bid.
While Brown has largely remained quiet on whether or not he will run, he did take a jab at Markey's candidacy earlier this month.
“I’ll tell you what; They’re making it awfully tempting. You got Ed Markey: Does he even live here any more?” Brown said on Boston's WTKK-FM. "You’ve got to check the travel records. I’ve come back and forth (from Washington to Boston) every weekend, almost, for three years, and I see, you know, most of the delegation, and I have never seen Ed on the airplane -- ever."
The general election for Kerry's seat will take place on June 25, while the primary will be on April 30.