Looks like one less celebrity U.S. Senate race.

Actor-director Ben Affleck said on Christmas Eve he would not seek the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts now held by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. Kerry has been nominated for Secretary of State.

Here's what Affleck wrote on his Facebook page:

"I love Massachusetts and our political process, but I am not running for office. Right now it's a privilege to spend my time working with Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), supporting our veterans, drawing attention to the great many who go hungry in the U.S. everyday and using filmmaking to entertain and foster discussion about issues like our relationship to Iran.

"We are about to get a great Secretary of State and there are some phenomenal candidates in Massachusetts for his Senate seat. I look forward to an amazing campaign."

Affleck's announcement came the same day that Edward Kennedy Jr., son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said he would also not seek the seat.

Here's more about his decision from the Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2012/12/24/ben-affleck-not-running-for-senate-massachusetts/poEFL9SWN7Bz4Lf1bhUX6L/story.html