Sen. Kohl to Retire in 2012

Politico reports:

Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl said Friday he won't pursue reelection in 2012, becoming the ninth senator and sixth Democrat to retire this campaign cycle.

“The greatest honor and the greatest responsibility of my life has been to serve as Wisconsin’s United States Senator. But I have never believed this was my Senate seat. I always knew and understood that it belongs to the people of Wisconsin. At the end of this term, I will have served in this office for 24 years.  So even though I continue to love this job, I have decided that the time has come to give someone else the opportunity to serve," said Kohl in a statement at a news conference in Milwaukee Friday.

Some of Kohl's closest advisers and supporters in Wisconsin had previously said they expected him to run, but despite the announcement, national Democrats indicated they remained confident they could hold the seat.

"There is no place in the country where Republicans have overplayed their hand like they have in Wisconsin.  Over the last three years, Democrats have amassed a 10-point Democratic advantage, according to Gallup polling.  Democrats also have a very deep bench in the state," relayed the Democratic source.