Former U.S. Sen. Coleman passes on any 2014 run

Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman said late Thursday night that he would not run for anything next year.

"Public service is an important part of my life. It will remain so even though I will not run for public office in 2014," the Republican said on Twitter. "(I) want to mentor a new generation of optimistic, limited government focused leaders who aren't afraid to find common ground to solve problems."

Coleman had said earlier that he would not run for U.S. Senate next year, ending speculation of a possible rematch with Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken. But he had left open the possibility that he could run against Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, a former senate colleague of Coleman's. Both Franken and Dayton won their races by recount-inducingly thin margins.

He would have brought name recognition and a mighty fundraising power to the gubernatorial race. But Coleman, a former Democrat, may have struggled to capture Republican party endorsement, forcing a primary.

Coleman said on the 140-character message service, that he will focus his time "energy helping Minnesota elect" a senator and governor "who support free enterprise, efficient (government and and seek to bring) folks together."

The former senator and former St. Paul mayor is now chairman the American Action Network, a Washington, DC-based think tank and campaign organization.

No high-profile Republican candidate has yet stepped forward to run against Franken or Dayton yet. Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson has said he is considering a run for governor and will make his decision before the summer; both U.S. Reps. John Kline and Erik Paulsen have said they are considering runs for statewide office next year.