Seifert won't run for House again

ST. PAUL -- Marty Seifert of Marshall is running for governor, but will not seek re-election to his state House seat if that fails.

The Republican lawmaker announced Thursday that he will finish out his term and then leave the House.

Seifert is the second representative running for governor to say that. House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, a Minneapolis Democrat, also does not plan to run for another term. Most other legislators seeking the governorship have not ruled out running for re-election.

Seifert, in his 13th year as legislator, said he has passed more than 90 bills, including one to require pregnant women seeking abortions to be given information about the fetus.

He said the decision not to run again was made during this year's legislative session, but kept quiet until now.

Seifert recently won the top spot in the 2010 governor's race in a non-binding straw poll of state Republican convention delegates.