Massachusetts’ Democratic Representative Barney Frank has announced that he will not be running for office in 2012.

Rep. Frank is currently the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee.

Rep. Frank and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd put together the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The Washington Post has called the Act “the most sweeping overhaul of the nation’s financial regulatory system since the Great Depression.”

In a press conference today, Representative Frank explained that running in 2012 would require a lot of work that he frankly isn’t interested in doing.

“It would have been a tough campaign,” Frank explained.

Frank’s district lines were recently redrawn, and he would have had a new audience to win over.

Follow us

The Boston Globe reports that the redistricting “was revised to encompass more conservative towns while Frank also lost New Bedford, a blue-collar city where [he] had invested a lot of time and become a leading figure in the regions fisheries debate.”

Frank also stated that he “doesn’t like raising money,” and that he would have to start raising funds now if he were to run in 2012. What is next for Rep. Frank? He said that he would like to begin “writing, teaching and lecturing,” though he isn’t seeking any academic offers right now.

Representative Frank is known for his out-going persona and critique of the U.S. economic system. He has served in the House of Representatives since 1980, running for office a total of 20 times.

In the middle of today’s press conference Frank admitted, “I will miss this job.”