LOS ANGELES, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Sandra Fluke, the law school student who became a liberal hero for standing up to criticism over birth control access, will not run for Congress in California.
Instead, she will run for a seat in the California state Senate, Politico reported Wednesday.
Just last week, Fluke told a Los Angeles radio station she was "strongly considering" running to replace retiring Rep. Henry Waxman, a 40-year Capitol Hill veteran. Fluke got as far as filing paperwork allowing her to run for the seat before announcing Wednesday she will seek the state Legislature seat instead.
"I am extremely moved by the outpouring of local and national support I have received since I announced that I was considering running for office," Fluke said in a statement. "While I strongly considered offering my candidacy for Congress, I feel there is a better way to advance the causes that are important to our community."
Fluke rose to national prominence when a Republican-controlled congressional committee denied her -- and any women -- a right to testify about access to birth control. She was pilloried by conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, who called the Georgetown law school student a "slut" and a "prostitute."
Democrats, most prominently President Barack Obama, rallied to her defense and she was eventually offered a prime time speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention in 2012.
