State Rep. Carl Rogers, R-Gainesville, said Sunday he no longer has his eye on switching legislative chambers.

“My loyalty is to the House of Representatives, so I’m going to stay where I am,” he said.

Rogers said last week he was considering a run for the Senate seat being vacated by Lee Hawkins of Gainesville. Hawkins said Thursday he will seek U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal’s 9th District House seat.

Deal is running for Georgia governor in 2010.

Hawkins plans to officially announce his candidacy at noon Tuesday at his dental offices at 404 Green St. NE in Gainesville. Hawkins and Deal also are Republicans.

“I’ve had a lot of people wanting me to run for the Senate, but after weighing all the pros and cons, I felt it was better just to stay in the House,” Rogers said. “That is where my knowledge is.”

Rogers is in his 15th year in the House, having won re-election unopposed last year.

Last week, he said Hawkins’ years as a dentist and his experience on the Senate’s Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment have prepared him to tackle water and health care issues on a federal level.

“If anybody should be knowledgeable on health care and other issues, especially water, Lee is,” Rogers said.

State Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, also has said he is considering a run for Hawkins’ Senate seat.