BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) David Walker, the former U.S. comptroller general, has taken himself out of the running to challenge Senator Richard Blumenthal.

Walker tells the Connecticut Post he does not plan to oppose the Democratic incumbent next year. He was an unsuccessful candidate last year for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.

The 63-year-old Walker took a job as a senior strategic adviser at accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in Virginia.

Walker also has put his Bridgeport home up for sale.

Connecticut Republicans haven't won a statewide election since Governor M. Jodi Rell was elected in 2006.

A year before he seeks a second six-year term, Blumenthal has an approval rating of 64 percent. He hasn't yet announced re-election plans, but has warned supporters of Democrats' losses in 2014 and that there is no safe seat.