State Sen. Harrington calls it quits

DFL state Sen. John Harrington of St. Paul says he has decided to not seek re-election this fall, stepping aside after just two years in the Minnesota Legislature.

The former St. Paul police chief was elected in 2010, when the DFL lost its Senate majority for the first time in nearly four decades. Harrington says the just completed session was particularly frustrating as a member of the minority party, and he began questioning his passion for the office.

"Four more years of gridlock, of an incredibly short-sighted agenda wasn't something that I could get up in the morning and look forward to going down there and battling those dragons," he said.

Harrington did not win the DFL endorsement in March, but he insists that was not a factor in his decision.

"That's how I got here. I got in here with not being endorsed and having run in a large primary. So no, that wasn't really a factor at all. This is really about service and about where do you want to plant your flag and where do you want to be. That's what the decision came down to," he said.

Harrington plans to campaign this fall against the marriage and voter ID constitutional amendments that are on the statewide ballot.