Bob Kerrey changes his mind, will run for Senate, source says

Bob Kerrey changes his mind, will run for Senate, source says
Posted by Aaron Blake and Chris Cillizza
Washington Post
02/27/2012

Former senator Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) has changed his mind and plans to run for the open Senate seat in Nebraska, according to a senior Democratic aide.

The aide said Kerrey has called Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to inform him of his plans.

Kerrey announced earlier this month that he decided against attempting a return to the Senate, citing his family.

Kerrey’s former campaign manager, Paul Johnson, confirmed to The Fix that Kerrey is reconsidering his previous decision, but stopped short of saying it was a done deal.

“I know he is reconsidering, but I don’t think he has made a final decision,” Johnson said.

Kerrey’s return would give Democrats new hope in a race that would likely be lost if he doesn’t run. The Democratic bench in Nebraska is very thin behind retiring Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Kerrey.

Kerrey, of course, will have to overcome charges of carpetbagging. Despite being a former governor and senator from Nebraska, he moved to New York after retiring from the Senate in 2001 and even flirted with running for mayor of New York City.

The filing deadline in Nebraska is this week.