AP: Trotter cites legal trouble in ending US House run

We posted about what the sources said yesterday, Sen. Donne Trotter made it official this morning:

Trotter announced Saturday he will not seek the 2nd congressional district seat, which includes parts of Chicago's South Side and nearby suburbs.

"Today I formally announce my intention to end my candidacy for that position," he told an audience of district constituents, local officials and journalists in suburban Lynwood. "The people of the second Congressional district have critical needs that must be met."

For weeks after his arrest, Trotter insisted he would still seek the seat and touted his achievements during 24 years in state politics, even as his attorney, Thomas Durkin, acknowledged that the charges left a "cloud hanging over his head." Trotter maintained the backing of an influential suburban township leader, but missed out on the Cook County Democratic Party's endorsement, as its slating committee opted for an open primary among the dozen or so Democratic candidates.

On Saturday, Trotter said he'd had a change of heart, noting that the district faces big challenges in creating jobs, improving education and reversing a home foreclosure rate that he said was the highest of the state's congressional districts.

"The stakes are too high and the debate is too important," he said. "... Nothing must be allowed to eclipse this debate. My commitment to these and other quality-of-life issues runs too deep to allow myself or my situation to detract from what needs to be front and center."

Trotter said he would not endorse any of the other candidates.

As many already speculate, Trotter does cite his arrest earlier this month as one reason why he will not continue his race for Congress.