Why do people like Dick Gephardt drop out of politics completely?

[wasteofo2]

I don't get it, Dick Gephardy was well loved and seemingly a great leader. I understand why he thought that if he did so poorly in Iowa that he'd do much worse elsewhere and dropped out of the presidential race, but why wouldn't someone like that attempt some other office?

[selfAdjoint]

He's already a Congressman in the House of Representatives. Although the Democrats are in the minority there, and can't prevent anything the Republican majority is reallly set on, Gephardt's seniority gives him a lot of power to direct and prevent more contentious items. He does great for his home district (Saint Louis, I believe). So he's not stepping down from public life.

He has now made at least two attempts to carry the flag of Unionism to the White House, and been eliminated early both times. This seems to be the fact, that even Democratic voters are too suburban to vote the Union line anymore.