Former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack, a Democrat, has taken a top post with an international government agency, a strong indication she will not run for Congress again anytime soon.

Last year, Vilsack unsuccessfully challenged Republican Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s GOP-leaning 4th District.

King is strongly considering a bid for retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s seat in 2014, a campaign that would force an open-seat race in his current district in northwestern Iowa. Democrats had named Vilsack as a potential candidate for congress again, although she never publicly acknowledged her interest in a second race.

On Friday, Vilsack announced in an email that she’s taken a new gig in Washington, D.C.:

“I wanted to reach out and share with you the exciting news that I have joined USAID (United States Agency for International Development) www.usaid.gov as their Senior Advisor on International Education…

I am busy getting up to speed on all of USAID’s amazing work around the world and I am excited to be traveling soon to many of our regions to see the work first-hand. I promise to stay in touch and keep you updated on all of my adventures and everything we are doing to ensure that education continues to change lives around the world.”