GOP Rep. Winslow enters race for Mass. Senate

BOSTON (AP) -- Republican State Rep. Daniel Winslow has officially entered the race for the U.S. Senate.

Winslow said in letter to supporters and GOP activists on Thursday that he would be a candidate in the special election to fill the seat formerly held by Secretary of State John Kerry.

Winslow announced on Tuesday that he was forming an exploratory committee to decide whether to run for the seat.

Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and several other high-profile Republicans have announced in recent days that they would not run in the special election.

Winslow is a former judge and served as chief legal counsel in the administration of former Gov. Mitt Romney.

He said in his letter that the next two years will be the "last, best opportunity" to rein in the deficit and federal debt.