Blaming Politics and Fellow Republicans, Bunning Announces Retirement

Eliminating a political headache for Republicans in next year’s mid-term elections, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) announced today that he’ll retire at the end of 2010 rather than seek reelection. In a statement, the hot-tempered Hall of Fame pitcher blamed politics in general and fellow Republicans in particular for pushing him out of the upper chamber:

Unfortunately, running for office is not just about the issues. To win a general election, a candidate has to be able to raise millions of dollars to get the message out to voters. Over the past year, some of the leaders of the Republican Party in the Senate have done everything in their power to dry up my fundraising. The simple fact is that I have not raised the funds necessary to run an effective campaign for the U.S. Senate. For this reason, I will not be a candidate for re-election in 2010.