Pileggi flirtation ends

Sen. Dominic Pileggi announced Monday morning that he will not be joining the cast of thousands _ well, ten so far _ vying for carry Republican standard against Sen. Bob Casey next year.

After a week of reports that he was considering the race, Mr. Pileggi informed his Facebook friends that, “After a great deal of careful consideration, I have decided not to enter the race for the United States Senate.  I will continue to focus on my service as Senate Majority Leader, working for positive change in state government.  I thank those who encouraged me to run, and everyone who has offered kind words of support.’’

That leaves Tim Burns, a businessman and former congressional candidate; former state rep. Sam Rohrer, who lost to Gov. Tom Corbett in the 2010 GOP primary for governor; Steve Welch, an entrepreneur who embarked on, then abandoned congressional candidacies in two different suburban Philadelphia districts in 2010; Laureen Cummings, a Tea Party activist; pharmacist John Kensinger; Marc Scaringi, a former U.S. Senate staffer; businessman Tom Smith; retired U.S. Army Col. John Vernon; businessman John Christian; and retired Army Sgt Robert Allen Mansfield.