SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on Wednesday suspended his campaign for U.S. Senate, saying he needs to spend more time with a daughter who is experiencing severe mental health problems.
"I want to thank the thousands of supporters who have been by my side thus far," he said in a statement. "I ask for your prayers for my family and specifically my daughter. We don't think our trials are any harder than rest of the world's, but right now, we could use a little extra help."
It wasn't immediately clear whether Shurtleff would drop his challenge to fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett altogether. He said he would continue to serve as attorney general.
Campaign spokesman Jason Powers declined to comment, although a news conference was scheduled for later Wednesday.
Shurtleff is one of several Republicans challenging Bennett for the GOP nomination this spring. His attacks on Bennett revolved around Bennett's support for bank bailouts and a health care proposal that would require individuals to buy health insurance. He also criticized Bennett for being in office too long. When first elected in 1992, Bennett pledged to serve only two terms.
Shurtleff was considered Bennett's most serious challenger, although Bennett has maintained a sizable fundraising lead.
The most recent Federal Election Commission reports show Bennett has raised about $1.6 million and has about $790,000 cash on hand, while Shurtleff raised about $209,000 and had $146,000 in the bank.
Bennett's three other Republican challengers have little statewide name recognition or political experience.
In his statement, he said he was told by his daughter's doctors that he and his wife M'liss would need to attend numerous counseling sessions.
"Her recovery depends on the focus and energy we give her as parents over the next several months," he said.
Bennett applauded Shurtleff for putting his family ahead of the campaign.
"Mark Shurtleff clearly has his priorities straight putting his family first. I am distressed to hear this new information about Mark's daughter and wish him and his family the very best as they work through this challenge," Bennett said in a statement.
Although Bennett enjoyed a significant fundraising lead, he has repeatedly said this would be his most difficult election yet. In Utah, even candidates who are unknown to most of the state can mount a serious challenge through the state's party convention system, where 3,500 delegates choose the party's nominees.
Only candidates who fail to earn 60 percent of delegate votes are forced into a costly primary. In highly conservative Utah, whoever wins the GOP nomination is likely to cruise to victory in the general election.
The only Democrat to file for the Senate seat so far is Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control chairman Sam Granato, who has never held elected office.
