Ohio congressional candidate J.R. Majewski announced Saturday he is suspending his campaign.
Just days ago, Majewski affirmed he was staying in the race for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District after he was censured by local Republican leadership over “insensitive” remarks he made about the Special Olympics on a podcast, according to WTVG.
In a statement Saturday, Majewski announced he was dropping out of the race despite believing he would have “a great shot in the general election now.”
Republican leadership have worried Majewski would lose the general election to his Democratic opponent and have sought to edge him out, including by raising the issue of his remarks to former President Donald Trump, according to Politico.
“It has been the honor of my lifetime to receive so much support from my America First neighbors, powering me to a strong lead in this Republican primary,” Majewski said in a statement Saturday.
“While I know I would win, and have a great shot in the general election now that my record has been cleared, it is inevitable that the Deep State will do whatever it takes to fight against me.”
Majewski was the Republican nominee for the district in 2022, but he lost to Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur following reports claiming he misrepresented his time in the military by lying about deploying to Afghanistan.
It’s been a great ride folks.
— JR Majewski (@JRMajewski) March 2, 2024
The best is yet to come. pic.twitter.com/7LjYGLawHd
With Majewski out of the race, the remaining primary candidates include former state Rep. Craig Riedel and state Rep. Derek Merrin, according to Politico.