Senator Burr To Run For Third Term

North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr says he's expecting to run for a third U.S. Senate term in 2016.

Burr essentially confirmed Wednesday the comments he made to a Washington-based political publication that he would seek re-election.

The Winston-Salem Republican rejected speculation he would leave when his six-year term ended, and told the National Journal he was planning on running.

Burr spokeswoman Rachel Hicks says the senator's comments to the Journal speak for themselves, but that he's focused now on regaining a GOP majority in the Senate this year.

The 58-year-old Burr was first elected to the U.S. House in 1994 and served ten years there before winning the Senate seat vacated by the departing John Edwards in 2004. He defeated Elaine Marshall in 2010 for a second term.