Broun to announce in potential rival Gingrey’s backyard

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun will reveal on Wednesday his intentions to run for Senate, well-placed Republicans in the state capitol with knowledge of the congressman’s plans said.

Broun, a conservative Republican with support among evangelicals and social conservatives, will formally launch his bid for the GOP Senate nomination in Atlanta–the political backyard of another potential candidate, Rep. Phil Gingrey, who represents parts of the GOP donor-rich area of Buckhead–rather than his own northeast Georgia district.

Though it was already widely expected he would enter the race, Broun’s wife let slip in an address last week to a conservative gathering that the congressman would seek the Republican nod. His aides soft-pedaled those comments in the days since, even as Broun was seen likely filming a new political spot.

The announcement would put Broun, who has represented Georgia’s tenth congressional district since 2007, first among the host of potential candidates to formally declare for the contest.

- James Richardson