Lincoln Chafee rules out primary challenge to Sen. Whitehouse

Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee will not seek to challenge Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) in a Democratic primary and will not seek any political office in 2018, according to a statement on his Twitter account.

In a tweet, the former 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, who dropped out before primary voting began, put an end to speculation that he would seek his old Senate seat after saying several weeks ago that there was a “90 percent” chance he would challenge Whitehouse.

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“Two of my favorite sayings are, ‘Fortune favors the bold’ and ‘Discretion is the better part of valor.’ The latter is true as to my plans. I will not be seeking elective office in 2018,” the Republican-turned-Democrat wrote on Twitter.

The Boston Globe reports that Chafee’s potential bid was hampered by an internal Whitehouse campaign poll that showed Chafee losing to the senator by more than 50 points, while statements Chafee made that were sympathetic to Russia generated negative headlines.

Last year Chafee defended the Trump administration in its early days, calling the “onslaught” of negative coverage of Trump’s presidency exhausting.

Coverage of Trump “has been on a full onslaught against Trump, and I think it’s kind of tiresome,” he said at the time.

“He won. I didn’t vote for him, but he won, and let’s let him get his feet under him and try and build an administration, and move on.”