Paul Ryan says no to Senate run in Wisconsin

U.S. House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis), author of the Republican House budget proposal, arrives to listen to a speech delivered by President Barack Obama on U.S. fiscal and budgetary deficit policy at the George Washington University in Washington, April 13, 2011.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Representative Paul Ryan said Tuesday he will not run for a Senate seat from his home state of Wisconsin, saying he can have a bigger impact as chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Republicans in Wisconsin had been pressing Ryan to seek the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Herb Kohl.

"For my family and me, the most important factor in making this decision was determining where I could make the biggest difference," Ryan said in a statement.

He said the United States is quickly approaching a debt crisis that must be addressed.

"I believe continuing to serve as Chairman of the House Budget Committee allows me to have a greater impact in averting this debt-fueled economic crisis than if I were to run for the United States Senate," he said.

Ryan authored a budget proposal that would make deep cuts in government spending and overhaul the Medicare health insurance program for the elderly.

He has drawn fire from seniors for a proposal that would essentially turn the fee-for-service Medicare into a program of vouchers that seniors would use to buy subsidized health insurance from private insurers.

Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, a Republican, is expected to run for Kohl's Senate seat.

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan and Steve Holland; Editing by Eric Beech)