Cross former Sen. Norm Coleman off the list of potential challengers to Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2012.
Coleman said on ABC's "Top Line" Tuesday that he will not challenge Klobuchar for her Senate seat, taking one more Republican with experience running a statewide campaign off the table for the GOP as they prepare to take on Klobuchar in 2012.
"I'm not going to run against Amy Klobuchar," Coleman said. "I'll leave that task to others."
Klobuchar is among the most popular senators facing reelection in 2012, according to early polling.
Coleman, who lost his Senate seat to Sen. Al Franken in 2008 by a scant 312 votes, has said recently he isn't necessarily finished with running for elected office, something he reiterated again Tuesday.
"I've said in other forums that I haven't ruled out public service," Coleman said. "My heart's in public service — at some point, but not in 2012."
The next time he'd have a chance to run for a statewide office? In 2014, Franken is up for reelection.
