State Sen. John O. Jones won't run in '12

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A longtime Southern Illinois legislator has decided not to seek re-election this year.

State Sen. John Jones, R-Mt. Vernon, has announced he has withdrawn as a candidate for the Republican nomination for the Illinois Senate from the 54th District.

Jones, 71, has served in the Illinois Legislature for the last 16 years, beginning in 1995 as a state representative and moving to the Senate in 2003.

The Democrat-controlled Legislature drew up new legislative maps after the results of the 2010 Census came in, and that forced Jones to run against another Republican incumbent in order to win re-election.

He indicated Wednesday that was unsure whether his candidacy could survive a challenge of his nominating petitions by his opponent, state Sen. Kyle McCarter of Lebanon.

The district now includes all or parts of Washington, Clinton, Madison, St. Clair, Bond, Fayette, Marion and Effingham counties.