ST. PAUL — An outgoing Republican state senator is considering running to become the party’s chairman.

Sen. David Hann told Minnesota Public Radio News Tuesday he’s weighing a bid to lead the Minnesota Republican Party. Current chairman Keith Downey has said he doesn’t plan to run for a third term but hasn’t made it official.

The four-term lawmaker and Senate minority leader from Eden Prairie was defeated in November. But Hann got some of the credit for the GOP’s takeover of the Senate, despite his own loss.