With the May 15 primary fast approaching, Lancaster County Commissioner Craig Lehman has dropped out of the race for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.

Lehman, who announced his candidacy in November, detailed his decision in a March 24 message to supporters.

“There are a variety of reasons for this difficult decision,” Lehman said in the message. “But in short, it was simply not meant to be.”

“I got into this race to help make Pennsylvania better,” the former candidate continued. “I did not run for the sake of running or to be a spoiler candidate. I ran because I firmly believe that we need more reasoned voices in Harrisburg and still believe I have the skills and experience necessary to be an effective Lieutenant Governor.”

With Lehman’s exit, Lt. Governor Mike Stack now faces four Democratic challengers in May: Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone, Ray Sosa and former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Nina Ahmad. The winner of the primary will run alongside Gov. Tom Wolf as one ticket in the November general election.

Lehman is the third declared Democratic candidate to withdraw from the race after State Representative from Montgomery County Madeleine Dean in February and Aryanna Berringer just last week.

With the announcement of the end of his bid, Lehman said “there are many fine candidates in the field,” but he endorsed Cozzone for Pennsylvania’s second-in-command “after thoughtful consideration.”

“As a commissioner, Kathi’s breadth of county government, executive, and legislative experience makes her stand out among the remaining candidates,” Lehman said in his message to supporters.

Much like Lehman did in his own campaign, Cozzone has pledged, if elected, to work with the governor to find bipartisan solutions to get results in Harrisburg.

On April 11, Cozzone will join Democratic candidates Stack, Fetterman, and Sosa for an AL DÍA Forum: Redefining the Office of Lt. Governor. For details about the discussion, which will take place at Temple University in Philadelphia, click here.

AL DÍA is organizing the forum in collaboration with the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University and in partnership with 6ABC.