Kerrey Won’t Seek Hagel’s Senate Seat

The president of the New School, Bob Kerrey, announced yesterday that he will not leave the Greenwich Village university to mount a bid for a U.S. Senate seat from Nebraska, but he left open the possibility of seeking a political post in the future.“The move and the efforts in politics are not altogether good for my family, so I’m not going to do it,” Mr. Kerrey said in an interview with The New York Sun. “I like what we’re doing here. The New School is an important institution, and I’m excited about its future.”Mr. Kerrey, who served as a Nebraska senator between 1989 and 2001, last month said he would consider running again after Senator Hagel, a Republican, said he would retire. Mr. Kerrey said yesterday that he was interested because politics and democracy in recent years have been debased by “money, corruption, and personal weakness.”“I nearly said yes to leaving,” he said in a statement. “I am deeply troubled about the direction of our country. And the idea of returning home to Nebraska to lead a political campaign based on a promise to do my part to change the direction was very appealing.”Mr. Kerrey said the mayor of Omaha, Michael Fahey, was the strongest candidate for the Nebraska Senate seat. “Any Democrat will have a tough time winning, but he’d be a strong candidate,” Mr. Kerrey told the Sun.When asked about a future bid for a political office, in Nebraska or New York, Mr. Kerrey said it was possible but unlikely. “I like politics and public service, but I’m getting to a point where I’m describing myself as young enough,” Mr. Kerrey said.He described his campaign for mayor in 2005 against Mayor Bloomberg as an “erratic head birth” and said he was not interested in a second attempt.During Mr. Kerrey’s six-year tenure at the New School, enrollment has increased by almost 30%, and the endowment has risen to $232.2 million from $93.8 million.Last year, Mr. Kerrey brought in more than $46 million in contributions, up from $15.7 million in 2001, with more than 90% of contributions coming from donors who are not university alumni.

Kerrey Won’t Seek Hagel’s Senate Seat

Kerrey Won’t Seek Hagel’s Senate Seat

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