Ilinois state Sen. Michael Bond has dropped his bid for the Democratic nomination in the state’s 10th Congressional District.

“After careful consideration, I have decided not to seek the Democratic nomination for Congress in the Tenth District, and will instead seek reelection to the Illinois Senate,” Bond said in a statement posted Friday to his campaign Web site. “While I am grateful for the encouragement I have received to run for Congress, I feel an obligation to continue working to address the enormous challenges our state is confronting.”

Bond had planned to run in Illinois’ 10th, which takes in suburbs north of Chicago, even before Republican Rep. Mark Steven Kirk said that he would run for the Senate.