Democrat John Sharp’s bid for the U.S. Senate is still very much alive–it’s just on hold for awhile, the former Texas Comptroller said today, in response to a Texas Independent story published Monday.

Sharp said his campaign sent out a news release in April — shortly after incumbent Kay Bailey Hutchison said she would stay in the U.S. Senate through 2012 — giving word that his campaign was going to hibernation mode, refunding donors’ contributions and personal loans and shutting down the campaign’s website.

With Hutchison not vacating the seat, and no special election on the near horizon, Sharp said, “It makes no sense to keep that stuff open, especially when you have all these campaigns going on, and people aren’t paying attention to it.”

Sharp said he would revive the active outreach part of his campaign “when the time comes.”

(Photo: Facebook/John Sharp for U.S. Senate)