BISMARCK, N.D. — Outgoing U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said he leaves Washington, D.C., with a sense of accomplishment and no regrets — and no plans to run for another office.

Schafer, who was North Dakota's Republican governor from 1992 to 2000, has long ignored the urging of fellow Republicans, including former President Bush, to seek a U.S. Senate seat.

"I don't have any interest in the legislative branch — I'm just not a legislative branch type of guy," he said Wednesday. "I don't have any plans or visions of any elected office."

He said he is packing up and leaving Washington for a long road trip through the South with his wife, Nancy, before returning to their North Dakota home in a few weeks.

Bush nominated Schafer in October 2007 to replace former Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns, who left the agriculture post to run for the Senate. Schafer was confirmed last January during heated debate on the $290 farm bill.

Schafer said working on a massive bill, which passed in May, was the highlight of his tenure as agriculture secretary.