Retired NFL and University of Alabama defensive end Wallace Gilberry announced on Monday he was dropping out of the race for the newly-drawn second congressional district in Alabama.
The new federal court-ordered second district runs from Mobile County to the Georgia border and has a black voting age population of nearly 50%. Gilberry was one of eight Republicans to qualify to run for the seat, along with 13 Democrats.
Gilberry said in a statement on X on Monday, "I'm not a politician, but my heart has always been in helping Alabama and helping our people better themselves."
"The response we've received over the last month in this campaign has been humbling and I'm blown away by it. After reflecting over Christmas and New Years, I have come to the decision that this race, at this time, is not the right place for me to help my community, so I will be stepping aside. But I am never going to quit on Alabama. Or on you. I will continue to serve our communities and be involved in any and every way I can to fight back against out-of-touch liberal politicians and too many bad policies that are hurting people and making life tougher every day. I love you all and look forward to seeing you around Alabama very soon and may God bless you all," Gilberry said.
The 2024 primary election in Alabama is on March 5. The primary runoffs are on April 16. The general election will be held on November 5.
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