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Ditka Decides Against Running for U.S. Senate Seat
Former Bears coach Mike Ditka announces his decision to stay out of the Senate race at his restaurant in Chicago.
Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka announced Wednesday he won't run for the Senate, leaving Illinois Republicans desperate for a candidate four months before the election.
"There was a moment when I said, 'God, I'd like to take this and run with it', and then I said, 'You know, put your head on straight and think about what you're getting into,"' the pro football Hall of Famer said outside his Chicago restaurant.
State Republicans have been scrambling to find a challenger for Democrat Barack Obama since the winner of the GOP primary, investment banker-turned-teacher Jack Ryan, dropped out nearly three weeks ago.
Ryan quit amid allegations in divorce papers that he took his wife, 'Boston Public' television actress Jeri Ryan, to sex clubs before they split up.
Polls show strong support for Obama, a state senator whose flair on the stump has helped attract money and a national following.
Wearing a black T-shirt, Ditka made his announcement at a news conference that drew onlookers who spilled into the street outside his restaurant.
He acknowledged that the sometimes fiery temperament that prompted him to answer taunting fans with obscenities in the days when he coached the floundering New Orleans Saints might not be a perfect fit on Capitol Hill.
"I don't know how I would react on the Senate floor if I got in a confrontation with somebody I really didn't appreciate or maybe didn't appreciate me," Ditka said.
He also suggested that what he called his "ultraconservative" views might clash with many Illinois voters, saying, "I don't want to talk about gay marriage."
A moment later, he said: "I don't care whether some judge of the Massachusetts Supreme Court says it's right. It's not right. It's wrong."
Source: AP