Republican Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana announced Tuesday he will not run for re-election in 2016.
"Today I am announcing that I will not seek re-election to the United States Senate. This was not an easy decision," Coats said in a statement, "While I believe I am well-positioned to run a successful campaign for another six-year term, I have concluded that the time has come to pass this demanding job to the next generation of leaders."
Coats was first elected to the Senate in 1990 in a special election to fill the seat left open by Dan Quayle, who had been elected as Vice President. After winning re-election in 1992, Coats retired in 1998 and served as the U.S. ambassador to Germany.
Coats came out of his Senate retirement and was re-elected to his seat in 2010.
He is now the third senator to announce retirement plans. Democrats Barbara Boxer of California and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland said they also will not seek re-election in 2016.
-- Mark Murray
