Shermanesque statement
A Shermanesque statement, also called a Sherman statement, Sherman speech, or the full Sherman, is American political jargon for a clear and direct statement by a potential candidate indicating that they will not run for a particular elected position. The term derives from the Sherman pledge, a remark made by the retiring American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman when he was being considered as a possible Republican candidate for the US presidential election of 1884.