Republican Joe Gschwendtner, an aspiring Colorado gubernatorial candidate, failed to collect the minimum number of valid signatures to petition on to the primary ballot, prompting him to withdraw from the race Friday.
The Douglas County businessman fell short of the required 10,500 certified signatures, despite having submitted 18,746.
Gschwendtner declined to endorse any other candidate.
“The reasons I entered this race have not changed. I believed then, as I do now, that I am the best Coloradan for the job,” he said.
Former congressman Scott McInnis and Evergreen businessman Dan Maes are vying for the Republican nomination. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is the Democrat’s candidate.
A handful of other potential candidates around the state also failed to collect enough certified signatures to run for office. Eagle County District attorney Mark Hurlbert came up short in his bid for the Senate District 16 seat, leaving Tim Leo nard as the lone Republican in the primary.
Hurlbert had only four days to collect signatures because he failed to get 30 percent of the delegate vote outright at the district assembly last month in Loveland. He received 29 percent of the vote, while Leonard, of Jefferson County, took 71 percent.
Democrat Blake Harrison in House District 7 and Republican Raymond Keyawa in House District 59 also failed to qualify for the ballot.
