Another one bites the dust.
Nebraska Republican Sen. Mike Johanns will not seek another term in 2014, GOP sources told NBC News on Monday.
He becomes the second Republican Senate incumbent after Georgia Sen. Saxy Chambliss to announce he won’t run again.
Johanns’ announcement gives Democrats an opening to gain a seat, but Nebraska has a history of trending red.
Johanns informed Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman of the news, and sources tell NBC News that Heineman himself is likely to run for the Senate seat.
Johanns explained his decision in his email to his constituents.
“With everything in life, there is a time and a season. At the end of this term, we will have been in public service over 32 years,” Johanns wrote, referring to his wife Stephanie, a former Lancaster County Commissioner and Nebraska State Senator.
“Between the two of us, we have been on the ballot for primary and general elections 16 times and we have served in eight offices. It is time to close this chapter of our lives.”
Johanns, who served as Nebraska’s governor and secretary of agriculture under former president George W. Bush, was first elected to the Senate in 2008.
A number of Democrats have also announced they too would not run again, including Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Tom Harkin of Iowa.
