Jeff Jackson, a front runner in the upcoming United States Senate race in North Carolina, pulled out on Thursday after collecting support for more than a year. The 39-year-old is a member of the Democratic party and a veteran of the Iraq War.

Jackson, a member of the state Senate in North Carolina, took a step further and endorsed Cheri Beasley, a fellow Democrat and primary rival in the race for the upper legislative chamber. 

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The prominent politician announced his decision in a video posted on his social media handles on Thursday saying that Beasley was consistently leading him in the polls. She had also won big endorsements from Democratic-allied constituencies like Planned Parenthood PAC, Emily’s List and the AFL-CIO.

Jackson’s run for a seat in the United States Senate seemed to be going strong as he held town hall meetings in all of the counties in North Carolina and visited over a dozen college campuses.

He said in a statement, “A costly and divisive primary will sink this whole thing”, giving way to Beasley in the Democrat campaign. He added, “We need to unite right now, and we need to unite behind Cheri.”

Similar steps were taken by virologist Richard Watkins and former state Senator Erica Smith earlier this year. Both of them are now running for the United States House of Representatives now.

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“We can win this election in November, and we can do it by electing someone who will make history and someone who sees the job as public service and not just a big partisan game”, Jackson said in the video statement on Thursday, according to reports from Associated Press.

Jackson alerted key supporters and donors of his decision late Wednesday, according to several Democrats. Beasley was ready Thursday with her own news release thanking Jackson for the endorsement.

(With AP inputs)