Joe Sestak Forms Senate Exploratory Committee, Won't Run For Governor

Former Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) announced Tuesday that he will not run for Pennsylvania governor and is instead forming an exploratory committee for a 2016 Senate bid.

Sestak, who lost his previous Senate run in 2010 to Republican Pat Toomey, told the Associated Press he will not run for governor next year but is weighing another race against Toomey.

The Democrat announced the formation of his exploratory committee, Leadership for a Better America, in a video on his website.

“In particular, the U.S. Senate’s lack of leadership and lack of accountability has meant our nation careens from crisis to crisis, paralyzing the governing of our nation," he said in the announcement. "The Senate needs a leader accountable only to we, the people, not any other interest."

Sestak, who left Congress in 2011, was considered a leading candidate to challenge Gov. Tom Corbett (R) in 2014. A Quinnipiac poll conducted last month found Sestak leading Corbett 48 percent to 34 percent.

In the AP interview, Sestak said he will "fully support" whomever Democrats pick to run against Corbett.