U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack told the press Monday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will not pursue the vice presidency in November, and will instead return to Stanford following her term in Washington.

“If she is actively seeking the vice presidency, then she is the last one to know about it,” McCormack told the media in a recorded press conference. “She plans on going back west of the Mississippi to Stanford when she’s completed her work as secretary of state.” McCormack noted that Rice is still a member of Stanford’s faculty. “Keep in mind — she’s actually on leave from Stanford,” he said. “She is still a tenured professor at Stanford University.”

Rice, who is a professor of political science and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, has said she is “not interested” in being Sen. John McCain’s number two, and that it is “time for new blood,” according to McCormack. Responding to a question on whether Rice would run for California governor, McCormack said that for the time being, Rice will concentrate on the rest of her work in Washington. “I think what she is considering is focusing on her work as Secretary of State, because — you may have missed it — but there’s actually quite a bit to do.”