City Councilman Eric Ulrich (photo credit: azi paybarah / observer)

NY1 is reporting that City Councilmember Eric Ulrich will reveal tonight that he is not going to seek the Congressional seat vacated by Anthony Weiner.

"I have a great job, I love what I do,” Ulrich told the network. “I have the benefit of working with some really great people on the City Council and did I want to give up the rest of my term on the City Council and possibly getting re-elected in 2013 or even re-elected after that because of the term limits loophole, to be in Congress for a year-and-a-half? That was something that I really had to think about. In talking with my family and friends, that was one of the reasons why I decided not to do this."

The announcement means that the G.O.P. will likely be forced to nominate someone who has never held elective office before, and it makes what would be a difficult race that much harder for the Republican Party.

According to Queens G.O.P. chairman Phil Ragusa, neither New York State Civil Court Judge Noach Dear nor Assemblyman Dov Hikind have arranged to meet with the screening panel that will decide the Republican nominee for the seat. Both are Democrats and would have to switch parties to run.

The announcement that Ulrich is not a candidate will be a huge relief to Queens Democrats and party head Joe Crowley. A Republican victory would have been a huge embarrassment to Crowley, and the lack of a serious Republican in the race means that his party can more easily nominate a placeholder who will agree to not seek re-election after redistricting next year.