DETROIT (AP) — U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter will make a "major announcement" Saturday about whether he will run for president in next year's election, a person familiar with the plans said Thursday.
McCotter's office said Thursday that the 45-year-old will be the keynote speaker Saturday at a festival in Whitmore Lake.
"He's going to make a major announcement at that event," the person, who is in contact with the Livonia congressman, told The Associated Press.
McCotter will address whether he will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss McCotter's plans. The person would not say whether McCotter had decided run.
The Associated Press left a message seeking comment Thursday for a spokeswoman for McCotter, Michaela Huntley.
McCotter, 45, is a lawyer and has served as a state senator, Wayne County commissioner and Schoolcraft Community College trustee before entering the U.S. House in 2003.
McCotter told WJR-AM in Detroit on May 25 he was seriously considering a presidential run. He said the job was attractive because it would let him shape the debate in Washington, but that he'd have to consult with his wife, Rita, and their three children before deciding whether to run.
McCotter also was linked with a possible run for the U.S. Senate next year, but he has said he will not seek to challenge Democratic incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Earlier this month, McCotter criticized Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney as being too similar to President Barack Obama on issues such as health care and the bailout of the financial services sector.
"The people who are struggling to get this economy going ... will see that President Obama and Mr. Romney are less rivals than running mates," the congressman said in a written statement.
