In an interview on MSNBC this morning, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed declared himself uninterested in the 2014 race for U.S. Senate, but had a couple of suggestions as to who might figure in on the Democratic side.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, spent the afternoon at the state Capitol, meeting with Gov. Nathan Deal and House Speaker David Ralston. How seriously is he considering the race to replace Saxby Chambliss? Kingston is talking up his ties as a native of Athens.

Next, we’re told that, in the next few hours, U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Coweta County, will declare himself content with his current congressional seat, and will remove his name from consideration.

And it looks like U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens, settled on a Wednesday announcement for his U.S. Senate campaign. But let’s tackle these one at a time:

UPDATE 7:15 p.m. from Daniel Malloy in D.C.: U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Marietta, declared himself "very, very interested" in the seat and said he is polling. Like Kingston, he talked up his statewide connections. And Westmoreland officially ruled himself out. See below for more.

***

Reed was on MSNBC to bolster President Barack Obama’s trip to Minnesota and his anti-gun violence campaign. On last week’s shooting in an Atlanta middle school, which injured one student, Reed said this:

“I also have made the proposal to link every single school in the city of Atlanta into our video integration system at police headquarters so that we can have eyes in our schools. And in the event there is a tragedy, it will allow us to deploy our police to the campus much faster, and it will give us eyes on the ground….”

At the tail end of this interview, Reed was asked if he were interested in a full-time job in Washington. Said Reed:

“I just focused on being mayor. There are some terrific candidates out there. I think Congressman John Barrow would be terrific. I also think Peter Aman, my former COO would be terrific as well. I’m going to keep being mayor.”

Aman, who served as Reed’s chief operating officer for the first two years of his term, is now a senior partner at Bain & Co.

***

Broun was in the audience at the Henry County Chamber of Commerce banquet on Saturday, when Kay Pippin – the chamber president – singled him out as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Not until Wednesday, the Athens congressman answered back.

This morning, we told you that former state Sen. John Douglas of Newton County had declared himself a Republican candidate to replace Broun. Douglas was at the Capitol this afternoon, spreading the word. But another name that may pop up as a GOP alternative: former state Rep. Doug McKillip of Athens, who was sandbagged by Democrats in a GOP primary, in part for his sponsorship of a harsh new anti-abortion bill.

And Republicans do like their martyrs.

***

Now, as for Kingston, who toured the state Capitol with his son Jim, a UGA senior. The Savannah congressman had just arrived in Israel on the first leg of a congressional delegation meeting when he received news of Chambliss’ retirement. And since he was chairman of the delegation, he couldn’t bolt – but needed to proceed on to India and Bangladesh.

He got back home in Savannah at 11 p.m. last night.

I had two questions for Kingston, who was on his way to see the governor. First, how credible is a resident of coastal Georgia as a statewide candidate these days? Said Kingston:

"No. 1, I’m an Athens boy. I grew up in Athens. I went to Clarke Central High School, graduated from the University of Georgia, and I’ve kept up with the people there. Doc Eldridge, the former mayor is a friend of mine….

"Then the company I used to work for had an office up here in Atlanta, and I was up here at least once a month. …I’ve represented 44 counties in south Georgia, and the aggregate of those, and the fact that I have pretty strong agriculture and military/defense items that I’ve worked on, and that’s really important for the state.”

And then there is the fact that Kingston sits on the House Appropriations Committee, is a relatively young man, and could someday be its chairman:

"That’s true, but I think I can serve the conservative cause better in the Senate. You can be more independent. In the House, where I get frustrated – there’s a lot of pressure to step in line with leadership. I’ve never been a leadership guy. I have a more independent streak, and in the Senate you can do that. And also, there’s a bully pulpit that’s a lot bigger.

“It’s very frustrating to me as a House member to work on an appropriation bill all year long, then hit a brick wall in the Senate where they haven’t passed a budget in four years. So I think the Senate could use an infusion….”

Judging by his words and his body language, I think Kingston is in.

***

In a brief interview off the floor of the U.S. House Monday night, Gingrey talked about connections that extend beyond his Metro Atlanta district:

Fortunately I do have friends all around the state. [Wife] Billie’s from West Georgia and I’m from Augusta [he was born over the river in Aiken, S.C.]. And we spent some time in Columbus in my first Congressional district. I used to go to Savannah all the time as a teenager and we’ve got some friends down in Valdosta, so I feel like I’ve got a good base of support. But we’re not there yet, but we’re looking at it.

Monday was the first time the House has been back in session since Chambliss' retirement announcement. Typically several members of the Georgia GOP delegation sit together in the second row during votes on the floor, but that was not the case this evening as their conversations were scattered throughout the chamber. Malloy asked Gingrey if it was awkward to have different members of the group contemplating running against each other:

We are friends and people have to do what they have to do. And this business of picking one person is talked about by people but I think each individual has to make up their mind why they want to run, what’s in their heart, what they want to do for the state of Georgia and if three of us all feel like we clearly are the person that needs to be there to do the kind of job for the country and for the state of Georgia that can be best done, then I think that you might end up seeing three of us in there. So at this point I just don't know.

The most likely delegation trio at this point appears to be Broun, Gingrey and Kingston.

***

Here's the final word from Westmoreland, via press release:

I would like to thank those who offered their encouragement and support over the last week as I considered a run for the United States Senate. After discussing it with family and friends, and after much deliberation and prayer, I have made the decision to not pursue a statewide office at this time. I am honored to be serving as the U.S. Congressman for Georgia’s Third District.  I look forward to continuing my work in that role, as well as in my new roles with the Financial Services Committee and at the National Republican Congressional Committee, and working to advance the principles of limited government and personal responsibility.