Nolan won't run again in the 8th

U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan said today that he will not run for re-election when his term ends in 2018.

The Star Tribune quotes Nolan as saying, "Now is the time for me to pass the baton to the next generation."

Nolan, 74, has won two tough re-election battles in his northeastern Minnesota district since his election in 2012.

Nolan announced last summer that he would run for re-election in the Eighth Congressional District and not for Governor on the DFL ticket.

He said that jobs were coming back to his district and wages were up. He added, "The Iron Range and the eighth district are on the economic rebound, and our best days are still ahead.”

Nolan previously served as a congressman from 1975 to 1981.

Last fall, Republican Stewart Mills said that he wouldn't run against Nolan for a third time, and criticized the National Republican Congressional Committee for its failure to adequately support his campaign.

DFLer Leah Phifer has announced her candidacy and is seeking the party’s endorsement.