Shay Stautz, who had received the most contributions among Republican challengers to Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, withdrew Wednesday from the race for the second congressional seat, saying he no longer sees "a clear path to victory."
The former University of Arizona lobbyist turned candidate confirmed the news to the Star on Thursday, after two petitions were filed to challenge the 1,541 signatures he had turned in earlier this month to put him on the ballot for the primary.
The petitions, fled within the last week and obtained by the Star on Thursday, challenged some of the signatures turned in by Stautz and argued they would put him below the 1,371 signatures required to be on the ballot. One claim challenged 313 signatures, while the other challenged 144, on allegations that some of the signatures were fraudulent, as well as questions about residency, party affiliation and voter registration.
Stautz said he made a decision not "to challenge the challenge" because he felt he would have reached "this point in the coming months anyway." The coronavirus outbreak and restrictions it has put on campaigning have made it difficult to challenge an incumbent, he said.
"I leave this race inspired by the people of southern Arizona, and I am more committed than ever to continue to serve them and my community," Stautz said in an accompanying statement.
That leaves three remaining candidates left in the Republican primary for CD2 — defense contractor Brandon Martin, Pima Community College employee and former Arizona Daily Star columnist Joseph Morgan and business owner Noran Eric Ruden.
According to the most-recent FEC filings, Stautz had garnered $137,101 in total contributions, compared to $135,338 for Ruden, $98,369 for Martin, and $23,931 for Morgan.
Kirkpatrick, in her first term in CD2, has raised more than $1.25 million. She does face a challenger in the Democratic primary in August, attorney Peter Quilter. No campaign filings were available for him, as of Thursday.
The district has been historically competitive, with Republicans and Democrats trading the seat over the last decade. But analysts favor Kirkpatrick; Sabato's Crystal Ball has the district listed as "likely Democratic" in his most-recent outlook.
