State Rep. Bills weighs US Senate run in Minn.

A freshman Republican state legislator says he's weighing a campaign for U.S. Senate this fall and could announce his intentions this week.

Rep. Kurt Bills of Rosemount isn't saying whether he'd run as a Republican or campaign as a libertarian. Bills told reporters Monday that he has been studying the race for months.

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is considered a favorite in a field. Her Republican challenger won't be known for months; state Rep. Dan Severson and war veteran Pete Hegseth are among those vying for the GOP nod.

Bills was elected to the Minnesota House in 2010. Last month, he campaigned for Texas Rep. Ron Paul ahead of Minnesota's presidential caucus. That gave Bills a toehold with libertarian-style conservatives who helped Paul to a second-place Minnesota finish.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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