Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran now serving as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, said Sunday that she has decided not to run again next year against U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., in the 6th Congressional District.

As a Democrat and political newcomer a year ago, Duckworth fell just a few percentage points shy of Roskam as they vied for an open seat in a west-suburban district that has long been a Republican stronghold. The race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde became one of the most hotly contested in the nation. Duckworth attracted international attention as a veteran who had lost both her legs in the war when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the helicopter she was co-piloting.

In the end, Roskam bested Duckworth with 51.4 percent of the vote to her 48.6 percent, providing one of the few disappointments for Democrats in a year when they swept into power in Congress — but the slim margin of defeat left Democrats believing the seat is within their reach.

Duckworth, 39, a 1985 graduate of O'ahu's McKinley High School, said it was difficult deciding not to run again, and left the door open to seeking political office in the future. The deciding factor this time, she said, was considering the work she began when Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed her veterans' affairs director. She also said she has re-evaluated the reasons she entered public life.

"Was it because I wanted the congressional seat or was it because I wanted to make a difference? And if it was about taking care of health care and taking care of veterans, I'm doing that now," Duckworth said in a phone interview Sunday. "I think I have probably done more for veterans in the last seven months than Congress has, especially my opponent, but that's ultimately why I decided not to run, because I think we are making a difference."

Local and national Democrats had been waiting on Duckworth's decision. No other Democrats have declared that they are running for the seat and her name recognition and proven fundraising ability continued to make her the most obvious choice to challenge Roskam.

Duckworth said she had been getting considerable pressure to run again but believes the 6th District is "a winnable seat for anyone who is a more moderate, fiscal conservative."

Ryan Rudominer, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson, did not respond to messages Sunday, but last month he said the organization considers Roskam's seat in play — particularly with the boosted turnout of a presidential election.

"Roskam has already shown he is more loyal to President Bush than the working families of Illinois' 6th District, as evidenced by his vote to slash student loans, vote against lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and his vote against cracking down on gas price gouging," Rudominer said.

Christine Cegelis, a Rolling Meadows software engineer who earned 44 percent of the vote against Hyde in 2004 and lost by four percentage points to Duckworth in the 2006 primary, said Sunday she was not running for the seat this time, but she is using the grass-roots connections she built within the district to reach out to potential candidates.

"I do believe 2008 will be a very good year for Democrats again," she said. "This is very much a winnable race. I think it's going to happen at some point."

Last month, Duckworth's husband, Maj. Bryan Bowlsbey of the Illinois National Guard, shipped off to Kuwait, where he directs convoys into Iraq. He was a familiar face helping his wife on the campaign trail last year, but his deployment was not the deciding factor, Duckworth said.