First and foremost Becky Whitley will tell people that she is just a regular mom from Hopkinton. And after a brief run for U.S. Congress, in Rep. Annie Kuster’s soon-to-be vacated seat, Whitley is suspending her campaign to do just that: be a mom to her son this summer, who is about to turn 11 years old.

After announcing her candidacy for Congress in April, Whitley announced she was suspending her campaign on the first day of the filing period for fall races.

“I’ve been so lucky to be in public service for the past many years,” she said. “But running for Congress is really a different ballgame.”

While Whitley said she felt she had a clear campaign path in the Democratic primary race against Colin Van Ostern and Maggie Goodlander, and then the general election, running for federal office required an “outsized role” of political connections and money in politics.

“It’s both a very practical reason to leave and a very personal one to spend the summer with my family,” she said.

Despite suspending her campaign before officially filing for office – making her eligible to reclaim her seat in the State Senate – Whitley won’t do that either.

Instead, she is going to take the summer to figure out what’s next, she said.

She also has no plans to make an endorsement for her seat – Rep. Angela Brennan, a Bow Democrat, Rep. Rebecca McWilliams, a Concord Democrat, and Merrimack County Commissioner Tara Reardon, have all announced their candidacies.

“I believe deeply in democracy. I don’t believe in hand-picking who is going to replace me,” she said. “There are three incredible women in the race and I look forward to hearing from all of them.”

Before Whitley entered the race for Kuster’s seat, the congresswoman endorsed Van Ostern.

To date, he had nearly $314,000 on hand, according to FEC filings. Whitley and Goodlander did not report any receipts.

On Monday, Whitley sent an email to supporters indicating that she intended to file for office and announced that her campaign hit its $20,000 fundraising goal.

Instead, Whitley said she is proud of the race her team ran and their ability to connect with people locally. She hopes the remaining candidates will carry that sentiment forward.

“I just really want them to stay grounded in the needs of regular, everyday Granite Staters,” she said. “They’re struggling right now. The economy might be booming but people are struggling to pay their bills to try to figure out how to build a life here.”

This session, Whitley introduced 16 bills – focused on childcare costs, childhood hunger and reproductive rights. Of the proposals, seven had made it to the governor’s desk, with three more remaining in conference with the House and Senate.

“I have always wanted to stay focused in my public service on people and not let poli tics get in the way,” she said .