Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon is dropping out of the Buffalo mayoral race, he announced Friday.
The decision to not run on the November ballot comes after losing Tuesday night's primary to state Sen. Sean Ryan.
Scanlon assumed the role of acting mayor last fall after longtime incumbent Byron Brown resigned to take a job with Western Regional OTB.
In a statement, Scanlon called this a heartbreaking decision, saying he will finish this term in office remaining dedicated as mayor.
The statement reads in full:
"After careful consideration, hours of thoughtful debate, and heartfelt conversations with my wife, my family, friends, and supporters, I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for Mayor of the City of Buffalo and forgo the Independent line on the ballot this November.
This was not an easy choice—it was, without question, heartbreaking. I am profoundly grateful to the thousands of people who believed in our vision for Buffalo and cast their votes in support of our campaign. Your trust, your hope, and your belief in the future we imagined together will stay with me forever.
To my team—there are no words to truly describe the effort you put into this. I am proud of each and every one of you and what we’ve been able to accomplish together
For the remainder of my term as Mayor of the City of Buffalo, I am as dedicated as I was the day I stepped into the office in October. I will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of our residents and taxpayers to advance the initiatives we’ve begun—initiatives that I truly believe will leave Buffalo in the best position moving forward.
I look forward to getting back to work, fully focused on serving the people of Buffalo and delivering on the commitments we’ve made.”
The mayor's race is now a three-man race between Ryan, Republican James Gardner and third-party candidate Michael Gainer. Democrat Garnell Whitfield also ended his campaign on Friday.
