State Sen. Lowe Finney (D) said today that he does not intend to run for the seat of retiring Rep. John Tanner (D).

“Our region needs a state senator focused on creating West Tennessee jobs, delivering in-home care to seniors, raising the expectations bar for teachers and students, and easing the burdens for our farmers and small business owners,” Finney said in a release Tuesday afternoon. “That is the challenge I accepted three years ago, and that is the challenge on which I remain focused today.”

Finney was one of the early names to surface after Tanner made his annoucement late Tuesday night. By taking his name off the table he makes the path that much easier for fellow state Sen. Roy Herron (D) who dropped his gubernatorial bid and jumped into the 8th district race just hours after Tanner announced his retirement.

Finney is the current Tennessee Senate Democratic caucus chairman, a position he took over from Herron earlier this year.