Sen. Raoul Says He Won’t Run For Illinois Governor

State Sen. Kwame Raoul says he's not jumping into the 2014 race for Illinois governor.

The Chicago Democrat has been weighing a run for months and had boosted his fundraising. In a statement Thursday, Raoul indicated that he will focus on his role as chairman of a legislative conference committee that's working on Illinois' pension crisis.

Raoul said he made his decision after talking with his family and evaluating his resources, and noted that he did not want to "create unnecessary divisions.''

Raoul had been exploring a run for attorney general if Lisa Madigan chose to run for governor. When Madigan chose to seek re-election, Raoul said some colleagues encouraged him to challenge Gov. Pat Quinn and former White House chief of staff Bill Daley in the Democratic primary.