BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Senate President John Alario, who has been a fixture in state politics for five decades, says he's leaving the Legislature at the end of this term.

Alario, who has served as a state lawmaker since 1972, is term-limited from the Senate in early 2020. But he'd allowed speculation to linger that he might run for his old House seat in the fall election.

On Thursday, Alario ended that speculation. He announced his tenure as a Louisiana lawmaker is done.

In a statement, Alario called it the best decision for his family. He says he intends to spend more time at home.

During his nearly 48 years as a lawmaker, Alario has served twice as both House speaker and Senate president. He's the only legislator in Louisiana to do so.

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