Joel Page/ASSOCIATED PRESS Tagg Romney hasn’t previously run for office himself, but got campaign experience speaking on his father’s behalf during last year’s presidential race. 
 
 Tagg's not it. 
 
 
 
 Tagg Romney, Mitt Romney's eldest son, told the Daily News on Monday that he will not launch a bid for former Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's Senate seat. 
 
 
 
 "I have been humbled by the outreach I received this weekend encouraging me to become a candidate for the US Senate," Romney said in an e-mail. "I love my home state and admit it would be an honor to represent the citizens of our great Commonwealth. However, I am currently committed to my business and to spending as much time as I can with my wife and children." 
 
 
 
 "The timing is not right for me, but I am hopeful that the people of Massachusetts will select someone of great integrity, vision, and compassion as our next US Senator," Romney added. 
 
 
 
 The Boston Herald reported early Monday that Romney was considering a bid for Kerry's seat, after former Republican Sen. Scott Brown's decision to pass on a campaign left Republicans scrambling for an alternative. 
 
 
 
 Tagg Romney, the wealthy founder of a private equity firm like his father, was a visible surrogate for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in the closing days of last year's race. There were also numerous news reports that Tagg Romney, frustrated that his father was being successfully caricatured as a hopelessly unlikeable plutocrat, was taking a more aggressive role in running the campaign. But those reports infuriated Tagg Romney, and he told associates at the time that he'd never run for any public office. 
 
 William “Mo” Cowan, a former aide to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, is filling Kerry’s Senate seat until a special election decides his long-term replacement in June. 
 
 klee@nydailynews.com ||||| In this Nov. 4, 2012, file photo, then-Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) waves to supporters from his bus after a campaign rally at Faneuil Hall in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press) 
 
 Former Massachusetts Republican senator Scott Brown announced Friday that he will not run in the special election for outgoing Democratic Sen. John Kerry’s seat. Brown’s decision means Kerry’s seat is likely to remain in Democratic hands. 
 
 "...I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time," Brown said in a statement. "And I know it’s not the only way for me to advance the ideals and causes that matter most to me. 
 
 “That is why I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate in the upcoming special election.” 
 
 Early polls suggested Brown, who remains personally popular in deep-blue Massachusetts despite his party affiliation, would have started with a lead on either Rep. Ed Markey (D) or Rep. Stephen Lynch (D). One poll even put him ahead of Markey, the Democratic favorite, by 22 points. 
 
 But the race was expected to be much closer than that, and even if Brown had won, he would have faced another reelection campaign in 2014 -- his fourth Senate campaign in five years. 
 
 "I respect Scott Brown’s decision and know that he did what he thought was best for him and his family," Markey said in a statement. Lynch said it was "perfectly understandable" that Brown "wouldn't want to undertake another campaign." 
 
 Republicans are now without a top candidate for the seat held by Kerry, who was confirmed by the Senate to be the next secretary of state earlier this week. 
 
 With Brown out of the picture, potential GOP candidates include former state senator Richard Tisei, former governor Bill Weld, former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and businessman and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez, whom national Republicans have been recruiting. 
 
 Tisei could be an attractive option for the GOP as an outside-the-box candidate. He is openly gay and pro-abortion rights and proved to be a strong fundraiser last year. He is looking at a rematch with Rep. John Tierney (D) in 2012, but also said Friday that he would look at a Senate run. 
 
 "Scott's exit from the race was obviously unexpected," Tisei said in a statement. "That said, in the coming days I will be talking with family, friends, and supporters to consider the best role that I can play in helping to bring new, alternative leadership to Washington." 
 
 Weld, who recently returned to Boston from New York, told the Boston Globe in December that he didn't think he would run for the seat, but he didn't quite rule it out, either. He ran for Senate before, losing a competitive race with Kerry in 1996. He also ran unsuccessfully for governor of New York in 2006. 
 
 Healey served as lieutenant governor under Mitt Romney for one term but lost badly we she attempted to succeed Romney for the state's top job in 2006. 
 
 Gomez, 47, is the least known of the three but appears to be the most eager, saying this week that he would even consider challenging Brown in the primary. 
 
 One Republican who won't run is 2010 gubernatorial nominee Charlie Baker. He is expected to seek that office again in 2014 instead. 
 
 While Republicans will certainly be underdogs in the special election, they were also big underdogs in 2010, when Brown surged to victory as a little-known state senator. But Democrats insist they won't be caught off-guard as they were back then. 
 
 The special primary will be April 30; the special general election will be June 25. The winner of the election will have to campaign for reelection in 2014. 
 
 Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has appointed his former chief of staff, Mo Cowan, as interim replacement for Kerry until the special election produces a winner. 
 
 Brown, who was elected in 2010, lost his seat last November to now-Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D). It's worth keeping an eye on his political future, even though he is not running for Senate. The 2014 governor's race will be an open contest that may interest Brown. 
 
 Here's Brown's full statement: 
 
 “Representing Massachusetts in the United States Senate was the greatest privilege of my life, an experience that takes second place only to my marriage to Gail and the birth of our daughters. It was a higher honor than I had ever expected, and in the time given to me I always tried to make the most of it. “When I was first sent to the Senate in early 2010, it wasn’t exactly welcome news for President Obama or many other Democrats. Yet among my best memories from those three years in office are visits to the White House to see the President sign into law bills that I had sponsored. I left office last month on the best of terms with colleagues both Republican and Democrat. I had worked well with so many of them, regardless of party, to serve the public interest just as we are all supposed to. All of this was in keeping with the pledge I made at the beginning to do my own thinking and to speak for the independent spirit of our great state. “Over these past few weeks I have given serious thought about the possibility of running again, as events have created another vacancy requiring another special election. I have received a lot of encouragement from friends and supporters to become a candidate, and my competitive instincts were leading in the same direction. “Even so, I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time. And I know it’s not the only way for me to advance the ideals and causes that matter most to me. “That is why I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate in the upcoming special election.” 
 
 Updated at 4:40 p.m. ||||| Scott Brown, who surprised the political world with his upset victory in the 2010 special election, announced Friday afternoon that he will not enter the special election to replace John F. Kerry. 
 
 “I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time,” Brown said in a statement. “And I know it’s not the only way for me to advance the ideals and causes that matter most to me.” 
 
 Brown’s announcement was unusual. Rather than a formal press conference or statement, he initially released the news to the Boston Herald in a text message that said “U are the first to know.” His spokesman later confirmed the news to the Globe in a text that read “Not running.” 
 
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 The full statement was released later. 
 
 Brown’s decision leaves the Republican Party scrambling to find a viable candidate for the June 25 election. To make the ballot, candidates must gather 10,000 certified signatures in four weeks. 
 
 Brown had long been considered the party’s strongest and most likely candidate. The party may now turn to former governor William F. Weld or former lieutenant governor Kerry Healey. 
 
 Beyond that, the list of credible candidates is thin. Weld has left open the possibility he would run, but associates say he is unlikely to leave his law and consulting practice to resume a political career. 
 
 Healey has not ruled out a run, but has said she was hoping that Brown would be the nominee. 
 
 Other possible Republican candidates Gabriel Gomez, a businessman and former Navy SEAL from Cohasset, and State Representative Daniel Winslow, a former district court judge who has served in the Romney administration and has higher political aspirations. 
 
 State committeeman Steve Aylward said his fellow activists are upset that Brown bowed out immediately after his chosen chairman was elected to lead the party. Kirsten Hughes only narrowly won the chairmanship Thursday night, after a big push by Brown to get her elected. 
 
 “One of the reasons for voting for Kirsten was that Scott Brown was running for Senate and needed her to be there,” said Aylward, who supported Hughes’ opponent. “Now one day afterward, he decides not to run for it? I think I’m speaking for a lot of the grassroots activists who are going to say, ‘this doesn’t pass the smell test.’ ” 
 
 Brown, in his statement, thanked voters and reflected on his three-year tenure in the Senate, but gave no hints about his future plans. 
 
 “When I was first sent to the Senate in early 2010, it wasn’t exactly welcome news for President Obama or many other Democrats,” he said. “Yet among my best memories from those three years in office are visits to the White House to see the President sign into law bills that I had sponsored. I left office last month on the best of terms with colleagues both Republican and Democrat. I had worked well with so many of them, regardless of party, to serve the public interest just as we are all supposed to. All of this was in keeping with the pledge I made at the beginning to do my own thinking and to speak for the independent spirit of our great state. 
 
 Two Democrats, US Representatives Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch, are vying for their party’s nomination. 
 
 Lynch, who is trying to appeal to the same moderate and conservative blue collar voters that Brown captured, released a statement about Brown’s decision before Brown’s even went out. 
 
 “I understand Scott Brown’s decision,” Lynch said. “He has basically been campaigning non-stop for three years. It’s perfectly understandable that he wouldn’t want to undertake another campaign. I wish all the best to Scott and his family.” 
 
 The Globe reported today that Washington Republicans had mounted a “full court press” to persuade Brown to run. 
 
 The effort, coordinated by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, came as those familiar with Brown’s thinking were becoming concerned that he would not run and would instead seek a job in the private sector. 
 
 The national GOP’s pitch to Brown was that he was at the height of his popularity and had a campaign and fund-raising structure still in place from his unsuccessful race against Elizabeth Warren. 
 
 But Brown had told state Republicans and others in his circle that he was exhausted from his campaigns in 2010 and 2012. He has noted to friends that if he won the election, he would have to gear up for a fourth campaign in 2014 to win a full term. 
 
 Brown may yet enter the race for governor in 2014. Republicans have generally fared better in races for state office than in races for federal office in Massachusetts. 
 
 After losing the November election to Elizabeth Warren, Brown had dropped several strong hints that he would run again for the Senate.
– Looks like Massachusetts voters won't be getting another chance to elect a Romney after all, unless Ann steps in. Following reports that GOP leaders were interested, Mitt Romney's son, Tagg, has announced that he won't be seeking the Senate seat vacated by John Kerry. "I have been humbled by the outreach I received," the younger Romney tells the New York Daily News. "It would be an honor to represent the citizens of our great Commonwealth. However, I am currently committed to my business and to spending as much time as I can with my wife and children." Scott Brown's decision not to run for the seat has left the state GOP scrambling for a replacement, and Romney isn't the only possible contender to have ruled himself out, the Boston Herald reports. Former Gov. William Weld and former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey have also decided against running, leaving the party with a handful of little-known choices. "It reminds me of the Three Stooges episode where the sergeant says 'I need volunteers for a dangerous mission. Step forward,' and they all step back," says a Republican state senator.