Conservative US Senator says won't seek new term

Conservative Republican US Senator Jim Bunning, a hall-of-fame baseball pitcher, said Monday he would not seek reelection in 2010 because of lackluster campaign fundraising results.

"The simple fact is that I have not raised the funds necessary to run an effective campaign for the US Senate. For this reason, I will not be a candidate for re-election in 2010," Bunning, 78, said in a statement.

But, taking aim at President Barack Obama, the Kentucky lawmaker vowed to keep opposing policies that "will put this country on the path to socialism" until his term expires in January 2011.

"My fear is that the debt that this Congress and Administration is placing on future generations of Americans will lower the standard of living for all Kentuckians in the future if they are not stopped," he said.

Bunning -- whose seat is likely to be filled by Republican -- also accused Republican Senate leaders of doing "everything in their power to dry up my fundraising" over the past year.

"Unfortunately, running for office is not just about the issues. To win a general election, a candidate has to be able to raise millions of dollars to get the message out to voters," he said.

Bunning spent much of his 17-season professional pitching career with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.