Former Massachusetts Republican senator Scott Brown announced Friday that he will

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"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," said Brown in a statement. "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."

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The announcement leaves Republicans without a top candidate for the special election, which will be held on June 25.  The Washington Post reports that possible GOP candidates include former state senator Richard Tisei, who is openly gay and holds a pro-choice stance, and former governor Bill Weld, who lost a Senate race to Kerry in 1996.  The primaries for the special election will be held April 30.  

Brown was elected to the Senate in a special election in 2010 for the vacant seat of the late longtime Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy.  He lost his seat this past November to Democrat Elizabeth Warren.

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