PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- He decided against a run for Congress, but Rep. Edwin R. Pacheco is considering a bid to become the next chairman of the state Democratic Party.

The Burrillville Democrat said that "people started mentioning Ed Pacheco as chairman of the party" a few days after he issued a statement excluding himself from the race to replace Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, who is not running for re-election. The chairmanship is open, of course, because former Chairman William Lynch is pursuing Kennedy's seat.

"It's very humbling," Pacheco said of his supporters. "I think it says a lot [about] the efforts I've made on behalf of my community. At the end of the day, my goal is to make the biggest impact possible."

The two-term incumbent legislator, just 28 years old, said it's too early to say whether he might leave his job as the executive director of the non-profit, Education in Action should he become chairman.

"I have to make a living," Pacheco said. "There's a lot of work to be done for the Democratic Party. Everybody thinks there's this big Democratic Party; there really isn't."

He continued: "If the opportunity should arise and it's the right decision to make, it's the right decision to make. But at this point, it's only conversations."