Al Kissling has decided to drop out of the race to replace Steve Pearce in Congress.
“I’ve sent out a letter to my supporters indicating that I’m dropping out of the race,” the Democrat said today in a brief phone interview.
Kissling won 13 percent of delegates at the recent Democratic preprimary nominating convention, while Bill McCamley won 49 percent and Harry Teague won 36 percent. Candidates had to secure at least 20 percent to win a spot on the ballot.
To stay in the race, Kissling would have had to submit the signatures of 1,184 registered Democrats living in the Second Congressional District by today. He already submitted at least half that number when he filed to run in February.
Kissling was the only Democrat who ran for the seat in 2006, and he secured just over 40 percent of the vote against Pearce in the general election.
So what’s next for Kissling?
“I’m going to work in the party trying to bring about some progressive reforms, so hopefully something will come of it,” he said.