Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) emerged as a name mentioned in a number of news reports on Tuesday as a potential challenger to take Senator Jeff Flake’s (R-AZ) seat, which he is relinquishing after next year. But the congressman, infamous for a recent interview in which he suggested that a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville was a George-Soros backed plot, will not be jumping into the race according to his office. “Everybody has to make tough decisions in their lifetime, and Congressman Gosar respects Senator Jeff Flake’s decision to do what he thought was best for his family and for the state of Arizona,” Faith Vander Voort, a spokesman for Gosar told The Daily Beast. “Although the state needs a strong conservative at the helm, Congressman Gosar will seek reelection for his seat in the House of Representatives in 2018. His heart lies with Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District, and as one of our nation’s most efficient Members of Congress, the Chairman of the Western Caucus, and the Chairman of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Minerals, Congressman Gosar is confident that he can make a difference for our country in the House, and he will continue to do so in that capacity.”

—Gideon Resnick