State Sen. Steve Ogden won't seek re-election

Bryan State Sen. Steve Ogden announced on Tuesday that he will not seek re-election in 2012.
The Republican said in an interview on WTAW radio that he plans instead to focus on his family and running his energy-exploration business.
Ogden has held the District 5 seat since 1997 and amassed great power in the Texas Senate as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He represents 13 counties from north of Austin to Huntsville.
He has been considered a possible candidate for lieutenant governor if incumbent David Dewhurst wins his race for the U.S. Senate. Dewhurst's replacement would be selected by the Senate, but Ogden said he didn't feel right running for senator with the intention of stepping immediately into a new seat.
Still, his move is not a complete surprise. The 61-year-old announced that he wouldn’t run for re-election in 2010, before changing his mind and filing at the last minute. He ended up easily winning his seat back but never committed to running again in 2012.
“This time I really mean it,” he said in announcing his intentions.
Hours after his announcement, Georgetown State Rep. Charles Schwertner, a Republican, announced that he will run for Ogden’s seat. Schwertner, an orthopedic surgeon, was elected to the House in 2010.
“I have the utmost respect for the job Senator Ogden has done, and feel it’s important that the people of Senate District 5 continue to be represented by someone who shares their values and conservative principles: a government that lives within its means, taxes which are low and fair, and a regulatory environment that doesn’t punish small business,” Schwertner said in a press release.
Ogden is the second legislator from Bryan to announce his retirement this year. Republican Rep. Fred Brown resigned at the end of this year’s legislative session. His replacement will be picked in a special election in November.