Senator ordered, editor declined (3,2,4)

I believe the answer is:

ran to seed

'declined' is the definition.

'senator ordered editor' is the wordplay.
'ordered' is an anagram indicator.
'editor' becomes 'ed'.
'senator' with letters rearranged gives 'rantose'.
'rantose'+'ed'='RAN TO SEED'

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.