Massey drops out of Congressional seat race

State Sen. Shane Massey has officially withdrawn from the race for the 3rd Congressional District.

Massey, who represents Senate District 25, said he made the decision Monday after careful prayer and consideration with his family. Since then, he has been calling supporters in District 3 and people close to him in his current district to tell them of the news. A statement was posted on his campaign website Wednesday.

"People are saying, 'We're sorry to hear it (Massey's withdrawal). We were going to be sorry to lose you in the state Senate, too, but, you're doing it for the right reasons,'" he said.

Massey said he believes the Lord will tell him what he wants him to do, and signs have been telling him to stay where he is.

"I think I can have a better impact somewhere else. Plus, I don't want to be an absent father. I have no desire to raise my daughter in Washington," he said.

Massey was first elected to the District 25 seat in 2007 to serve out the remainder of former Sen. Tommy Moore's term. His campaign slogan then was "Shake Up Columbia," a slogan he used again in his 2008 campaign for a full term in office.

His Congressional campaign slogan was "Shake Up Congress."

"I have always had an optimistic view of the way America should be. It requires all of us to be active participants and get off the sidelines," he said.

His campaign centered on issues such as ending government intervention in private affairs and ending "excessive and irresponsible spending."

"I am still concerned about those issues, but I think I can have a better impact on them by starting here at home," Massey said.

He wants to start working on the budget in Columbia and helping to remedy what he sees as a trend of poor budgeting over the years.

Blogs out of Washington, D.C., speculate the reason behind Massey's withdrawal is unsuccessful efforts at fundraising.

Massey said that is not true, and the amount of money he has raised would have made him "competitive" in the race for District 3. The last time he had to report on campaign finances, the total was about $100,000.

The senator is taking a "never say never" stance on the idea of running for a Congressional seat again when his term expires in January 2013. But, now is not the time, he said.

"Right now I don't have a lot of interest," he said.