The sole major Democratic candidate to replace retiring Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has dropped out of the race.
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez made the announcement via email late Friday afternoon.
Sanchez is a native of Rio Grande City. He commanded U.S. forces in Iraq from 2003 to 2004.
While the Republican field to replace Hutchison is extremely crowded, Sanchez was the only major candidate from the Democratic Party.
He said pressing personal challenges, including the destruction of his home by fire, forced him to get out of the race.
Sanchez's San Antonio home was destroyed by fire while he was out of town attending Veteran’s Day events.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
