BOSTON (AP) ? Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld says he will not run in the special election to succeed John Kerry in the U.S. Senate.

The Republican said in a brief statement on Monday that he was grateful for the encouragement he has received, but that he would not be a candidate.

Weld served as governor from 1991 to 1997. He later moved to New York, but recently returned to Massachusetts to join the law firm of Mintz Levin. The firm released the statement Monday on Weld’s behalf.

Republicans have been scrambling to find a candidate for the special election since former Sen. Scott Brown’s announcement on Friday that he had decided against a run.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.