WESTBROOK — Longtime Westbrook City Councilor Brendan Rielly will not run for the 1st District House seat, now that U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree has decided she will not run for Senate.

“There will definitely be another race for higher office, the question is when and where,” said Rielly, a Democrat.

Pingree’s decision, announced today, is expected to prompt many, if not all, of the 12 Democrats who were interested in running for her seat to drop out of the race.

Rielly thanked the dozens of people who were collecting signatures for him for “helping out with this crazy fire drill.”