US:Republican senator Larry Craig says he wants to stay in the Senate until 2009, despite a judge's rejection of his attempt to change a plea of guilty to disorderly conduct in a men's room at Minneapolis airport.
Mr Craig (62) originally said he would step down at the end of September after it emerged that he had been arrested for attempting to initiate sexual contact with an undercover police officer.
Now, however, Mr Craig has decided to complete the last 15 months of his Senate term while continuing to try to clear his name.
"I have seen that it is possible for me to work here effectively," he said.
Mr Craig's decision is an added headache for Republicans who face a difficult election next year with a number of popular incumbents retiring.
This week, New Mexico's veteran senator Pete Dominici said he was stepping down next year for health reasons, and Virginia's John Warner announced last month that he is retiring.
John Ensign, who chairs the Republican campaign committee overseeing next year's Senate elections, could not conceal his irritation at Mr Craig's change of heart. "Senator Craig gave us his word. I wish he would stick to his word. It's embarrassing for the Senate, it's embarrassing for his party," he said.
Mr Craig, who says he is not gay, was arrested after he tapped his foot in a bathroom stall and ran his hand under the partition in a signal the undercover police officer said was a recognised invitation to sex. Mr Craig said he panicked when arrested, and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct because an Idaho newspaper had been aggressively investigating allegations that he was gay.
Last month, he hired a high-profile legal team and asked that his guilty plea be rescinded, which would clear the way for a trial, but a Minnesota court rejected his request on Thursday.
"Because the defendant's plea was accurate, voluntary and intelligent, and because the conviction is supported by the evidence . . . the defendant's motion to withdraw his guilty plea is denied," said judge Charles Porter.
Republicans fear that Mr Craig's decision to remain in the Senate will keep the story of his arrest alive, but Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter said his colleague had the right to stay in office.
"Disorderly conduct is not moral turpitude and is not a basis for leaving the Senate. I don't think it reflects on the party at all. Larry Craig is an individual. He doesn't represent the party or any other individual senator or any Republican. The conduct which is described here at worst is disorderly conduct. I don't know what his sexual preference is. It's not relevant to the issue in any respect," Mr Specter said.
Mr Craig returned to the Senate after his arrest and has supported the Republican minority in a number of votes, including one opposing the extension of hate crimes legislation to attacks on gays and lesbians.
