RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Sen. Jesse Helms, the ornery conservative who tormented liberals in Congress for most of the past three decades, announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election next year.

The five-term Republican cited his age in his decision. He is 79.

"I would be 88 if I ran again in 2002 and was elected and lived to finish a sixth term," he said. "This, my family and I decided, I should not do and shall not."

The taped remarks were played on the evening newscast at WRAL-TV, the station where Helms' fiery editorials helped build support for his first election to the Senate in 1972.

Helms invoked the memory of Sen. Sam Ervin, a Democrat who represented North Carolina in the 1950s, '60s and early '70s, quoting Ervin's remarks on his own age when he left public life. He noted he will have served 30 years in the Senate when his term ends in 2003.

"Not in my wildest imagination did it occur to me that such a privilege would ever be mine," Helms said, his voice breaking slightly near the end of his 10-minute speech.

"Thank you dear friends, God bless you, and as Ron Reagan always used to say, God bless America," he said.

Helms taped the address several hours earlier, before an invitation-only group of friends and family. He then headed to his vacation home on Lake Gaston, north of Raleigh, to watch the broadcast with his wife, Dorothy.

Within minutes of the announcement, President Bush issued a statement praising Helms as a "tireless defender" of freedom.

"When Senator Helms retires, the Senate will have lost a respected leader, but I have no doubt we will continue to seek his counsel as a senior statesman," Bush said.

Helms' departure could make it more difficult for the GOP to recapture the Senate, where Democrats hold a 50-49 majority, with one independent.

Republicans are defending 20 Senate seats in 2002, including the one held by 98-year-old Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who has said he will not seek re-election next year. Democrats are defending 14, none of them open.

People close to Helms have said for weeks that his family was urging him not to seek re-election. He also had not begun raising money or hired high-powered consultants who have guided previous campaigns.

The reality of a Senate without Helms was slow to sink in.

"We need his conservative voice up there. I'm not sure anyone will be as consistently conservative and fearlessly conservative as he has been," said Tom Ellis, the Raleigh attorney who helped guide Helms' early campaigns and founded his fund-raising organization, the Congressional Club.

For three decades, Helms inspired that kind of loyalty from his conservative following as he condemned communists and gays, and endorsed school prayer and traditional values. Others were glad to see him go.

"I guess the 19th century is over now," said Democratic campaign pollster Sam Watts.

Long before Helms' plans became public, possible successors began exploring bids to replace him.

A prominent group of Republicans announced this week they were trying to persuade Elizabeth Dole to run for the Senate seat. Dole, the former labor secretary and head of the Red Cross, was born and raised in North Carolina, though she spends most of her time in Washington.

Other Republicans considering a Senate bid are Rep. Richard Burr, former Sen. Lauch Faircloth, former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot and Lexington lawyer Jim Snyder.

Thad Beyle, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said national GOP officials clearly see Dole as the best means to retain Helms' seat.

Burr and Faircloth, in particular, might be hesitate to challenge her and butt heads with the national party establishment, he said.

"I think there are some who will not jump back in," Beyle said.

So far, the only Democrat to enter the race is Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. There is speculation that Democrats will ask former four-term Gov. Jim Hunt to run.

Regardless of who replaces Helms, Republicans said his retirement will leave a vacuum in both North Carolina and national politics.

"Jesse had a way to inspire folks and instill a sense of patriotism in their bones," GOP state Rep. Richard Morgan said. "We won't have people like Jesse to hold us up any longer."