Eric Kleefeld January 25, 2011, 5:23 PM

Former Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO), who had been eyeing a possible comeback bid in 2012 for the Senate seat he held until his defeat in 2006, is now reportedly out of the race after all. Instead, he’ll be sticking with the private sector — and backing Mitt Romney for president.

Had he run, Talent would have faced a primary race against former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman.

Politico reports:

Talent’s decision against a 2012 campaign was telegraphed in recent weeks with his lack of activity in the state an an overseas trip with almost-certain presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

…

Talent backers said the former senator just did not have the stomach for what would have been a contentious primary and bruising general election at a time when he was content in the lucrative private sector and serving in an advisory role to a likely presidential candidate.

Talent was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1992, serving for four terms. He lost the 2000 gubernatorial race by 49%-48%, but was then elected to the Senate in a 2002 special election, defeating incumbent Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan (the widow of Mel Carnahan, who had posthumously won the 2000 Senate race, which then triggered Jean’s appointment to the office). Talent then lost to McCaskill in the Democratic wave year of 2006, by a margin of 50%-47%.

Since then, the state has shown itself to be more favorable to the Republicans. John McCain carried the state by just over 0.1% of the vote, at the same time as Barack Obama won the national popular vote by 53%-46%. Then in the open Senate race in 2010, Republican Roy Blunt defeated Democrat Robin Carnahan by the landslide margin of 54%-41%.

This past December, a survey from Public Policy Polling (D) showed McCaskill in a tight race against various possible Republican nominees, including both Talent and Steelman.

2012 elections, Claire McCaskill, Jim Talent, MO-SEN, Sarah Steelman, Senate '12