Former Gov. Jeb Bush’s explains his decision to not run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Mel Martinez in 2010 in an e-mail sent out this afternoon.

He wrote: “While I will always have more than fond memories of my years in public office and was humbled by the outpouring of support I received over the last few weeks, now is not my time to be running for office.”

“To sum it up, in the words of Dr. Stephen Covey, I have decided to put ‘First Things First’,” Bush wrote. “I will continue to stay involved in the advocacy of a vibrant, growing Republican Party and with it, 21st Century conservative solutions to the challenges we face.”

The decision is prompting some quick reaction, including from Martinez himself.

“I understand his decision. Jeb would have been a great candidate and senator,” said Martinez in statement. “The good news is that Republicans still hold the advantage with a deep field of potential candidates.”

Martinez, however, did not list those potential candidates in his statement.

The statement, however, does not list those other potential candidates.

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