After months of speculation about a potential Senate or House campaign, former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman (R) announced Tuesday night that she will pass on a 2010 bid.

Earlier this cycle Steelman appeared to embrace the role of Beltway outsider by issuing pointed remarks aimed at Rep. Roy Blunt (R), who is running for Senate in 2010 with the endorsement of the national party. But Steelman said in a statement that her family obligations will keep her in Missouri for the foreseeable future.

“For months I have considered running for the U.S. Senate and I have been honored and gratified by people throughout the state and country who have encouraged me to run,— she said. “However, our youngest [son] … is 14 and I want to raise him here in Missouri — in the heart of this country, not in Washington D.C.—