Shane Quick, a little-known candidate in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor, withdrew from the statewide race earlier this week, according to state GOP officials and the Secretary of State’s office.
Tate Lewis, the director of the Mississippi Republican Party, and Elizabeth Jonson, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office, told Mississippi Today that Quick sent a signed letter to party officials on Monday saying he wished to take his name off the GOP primary ballot, though he did not give a reason for ending his campaign.
Quick, who could not be reached for comment, also filed paperwork to terminate his campaign finance account that housed $101 in donations.
A DeSoto County resident, Quick stood little chance at capturing the Republican Party’s nomination for the office. He also ran for lieutenant governor in 2019 and only garnered around 14% of the primary vote. Incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann captured around 85% of the vote.
But the candidate’s exit from the Republican field is notable because of the potential for a GOP primary runoff this year.
State Sen. Chris McDaniel, a conservative from Jones County, and Tiffany Longino, another little-known candidate from Rankin County, are competing against Hosemann, who has held statewide office since 2008.
If neither of the three candidates captures an outright majority of the votes cast in the Aug. 8 primary, election officials must conduct a runoff on Aug. 29 between the two candidates who received the most votes.
The winner of the GOP primary will faced Ryan Grover, the only Democrat in the race, on Nov. 7.
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