Rare coin dealer Paul Hollis, who was always seen as a token challenger to Republican Senate frontrunner John Kennedy, has changed his mind about running for office.

According to a news release Monday, Hollis, whose wife is pregnant with the couple’s second child and is due in November, said his family commitments would be too much for a Senate campaign at this time.

“I could not reconcile the demands of a statewide campaign for federal office with my commitment to my wife and family,” Hollis said. “The pressures of a highly contested campaign would take me away from home too much.”

Hollis, the son of former Louisiana state Sen. Ken Hollis, was expected to run to the right of Kennedy, who switched parties last year before winning a third term as state treasurer.

Though race watchers didn’t give Hollis much of a chance of winning the nomination, the rare coin collector — who is wealthy and was expected to self-fund most of his campaign — might have forced Kennedy to expend precious resources in the primary that could otherwise have been used in the tight general election race against Sen. Mary Landrieu (D).

— John McArdle