Former state Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp will not challenge state Sen. Tracy Potter for the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring incumbent Sen. Byron Dorgan (D).

Heitkamp had been viewed as a potentially strong candidate to take on Gov. John Hoeven, who is expected to be the Republican nominee.

“A campaign against a politician who has held office these past ten years would not be easy,” she said in a statement.

Potter is the only declared Democrat, but Kristin Hedger, a businesswoman and former Dorgan aide, has been exploring the race.