Report: Jim Webb to Retire from Senate, Won't Seek Reelection

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11:48 AM, Feb 9, 2011 • By DANIEL HALPER

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Ben Smith reports that Virginia senator Jim Webb won't seek reelection in 2012:

Virginia Senator Jim Webb plans to announce today that he won't seek reelection, a senior Senate source said.

Webb appeared likely to face a rematch with former Senator George Allen, whom he beat in a bruising 2006 contest. He had expressed ambivalence about the prospect of another run, and has said he never planned a life in politics.

Senate Democratic leaders view Democratic National Committee ChairmanTim Kaine, the former Virginia governor, as a top prospect to replace him, despite Kaine's disavowals that he's looking at the race.

Webb is the author of several novels (and he's contributed to THE WEEKLY STANDARD), so it will be interesting to see if he decides to write about his term in the Senate.