Josh Mahony, the only Democratic contestant in Arkansas, dropped out of the race just two hours after the filing deadline expired on Tuesday. His action leaves his party with no candidate to run for the U.S. Senate seat.
Mahony, a nonprofit executive, listed family health issues as the reason for his resignation.
"I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all of those who have supported me during this race," he said in a statement to Facebook and Twitter. "It has been the honor of my life to be able to meet and visit with so many Arkansans over the last six months and hear their voices. It was my sincere hope to be their advocate in Washington, D.C. However, in this moment right now, I need to focus on my family and place their interests first."
Mahony, a Fayetteville Democrat, was running an uphill race against Republican incumbent Tom Cotton. Cotton comfortably beat challenger former Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in 2014 by winning a straight victory by 57 percent in the staunchly red state.
Mahoney had formerly lost his congressional bid to Republican competitor, Rep. Steve Womack, in 2018, by an almost 2 to 1 margin.
When it came to gaining financial resources to campaign, Tom Cotton outdid Mahoney by far. He boasted of $4 million in funding support as opposed to the mere $250,000 that Mahoney managed to get, according to campaign finance reports made to the Federal Election Commission last month. By September, Mahoney had only $25,000 left.
Other contestants that filed for the seat previously are Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington Jr., and a Progressive Independent, Dan Whitfield of Bella Vista.
Democratic Party of Arkansas Chairman Michael John Gray said he heard about Mahony's resignation only after someone informed him of the Twitter post. Gray, who claimed he is a friend of Mahoney, then spoke with him on the phone.
The timing could not be more inauspicious for the Democrats, for now, they have no candidate to represent them in the race. Gray said the legal advisors with the DPA are currently consulting with the Arkansas secretary of state office. They are seeking a workaround so that a Democratic candidate can enter the ballot.
Arkansas law provides for parties to replace their candidates in times of death or serious disease. "I've reached out to some election officials, and we're gathering that information," Gray said, according to WREG.