A few hours after Kelly Loeffler was announced as Georgia’s next U.S. senator, one of her most formidable potential rivals explained why she wouldn’t run for the seat.

Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates has long said she wouldn’t seek a Senate post in 2020, but some Democrats held out hope that the tantalizing prospect of two seats up for grabs next year would force her to change her mind.

At a podcast recording Wednesday with former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, once the top federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, an audience of hundreds burst into applause when he asked her a familiar question.

“Why won’t you run? They love you, they need you, you’re a person of high integrity, you’re a great public servant, you would easily win,” he said, prodding her once more. "Why won’t you just do it?”

Said Yates: “Running for Senate, that’s just not something that’s ever really felt like me. I really am incredibly flattered by your support. We’ve got some great people that are running ...