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Democrat Alex Sink has decided not to run for Congress this fall, a move that could benefit newly elected Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly.

Sink told the Tampa Bay Times on Tuesday that she made a "very personal" choice against running after weighing several factors.

"I was certainly all in for the special election and at this point in time I just made the decision that I did not want to run again."

Jolly narrowly defeated Sink in the nationally watched and costly March 11 special election held after Republican U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young's death in October.

Although Sink lost, she was still considered a strong candidate for the fall, given her wide name recognition and proven fundraising ability. Her exit leaves it unclear which Democrat will step in to run against Jolly.

Jessica Ehrlich, who previously ran for the seat against Young but bowed out of the race earlier to make room for Sink, did not return calls Tuesday. Earlier this week, the Rev. Manuel Sykes of St. Petersburg, a Democrat, said he was considering a bid. The deadline to file is May 2.

"I have great respect for Alex," Jolly said in a statement. "I'm sure it was a difficult decision and I wish her the very best. I look forward to continuing my work in Congress on behalf our Pinellas community."

Sink said Democratic officials showed her an analysis of election trends and "the numbers actually looked better than I anticipated."

She said 50,000 more people may vote in the fall, and "there will be many more independents and they will probably be a little younger."

Those are some of the reasons she believes a Democratic candidate can win in the fall, even though she is the candidate who likely would have commanded the biggest name recognition and Jolly will have an incumbent's advantage.

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Alex Sink won't challenge David Jolly for District13 seat in November