BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Richard Nelson announced Wednesday, Sept. 20, that he is withdrawing from the Louisiana governor’s race and endorsing candidate Attorney General Jeff Landry.

In a statement, he said:

“I ran for governor to improve the lives of the people of Louisiana, and we have been fortunate to travel to every corner of the state spreading the gospel of good government. While this was always going to be a difficult race, I am proud of the impact we made with the resources we had. I want to thank my supporters and especially my family for the sacrifices they have made on this journey.

“My heart will always be committed to Louisiana, and that is why I am happy to support Attorney General Landry to be our next governor. I believe that Jeff has the commitment and the courage to bring the fundamental reforms we need in state government. Our people need good jobs, good schools and good health, and Jeff is the best candidate for the job.”

Landry was honored to receive the endorsement saying:

“We are honored to have the endorsement of Representative Richard Nelson. These past few months have proven that Richard is deeply committed and passionate about improving our state and the lives of folks across Louisiana. He and I both understand this race is an opportunity to chart a new course for Louisiana, one where our children and grandchildren want to stay and build a future.  I look forward to continuing to unite folks across our state as we work to bring Louisiana a government as good as its people.”

Nelson said he plans to pursue opportunities in the private sector.

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office, ballots have already been printed and programmed for the Oct. 14 election so Nelson will still be on them and votes will be counted.

The primary is set for Saturday, Oct. 14, and the general election will be on Saturday, Nov. 18.

Candidates running for governor are Republicans Attorney General Jeff Landry, Stephen Waguespack, Treasurer John Schroder, State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, Independent Hunter Lundy and Democrat Shawn Wilson.