Pat Herrity drops out of LG race

Fairfax Supervisor Pat Herrity has withdrawn from the race for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, due to concerns about his health following heart surgery. He told channel 7 news:

“It’s kind of with a very heavy heart that I’m going to withdraw from the race for health reasons,” Herrity told 7News. “I’ve kind of come to the conclusion you really have to be on all the time. You’ve got to be on the road all the time. You’ve got to be at 150%, and I was at 150% until my surgery. But with the complications that I’ve had, I don’t see myself being able to be at that 150% that it’s going to take to win in November. And I think it’s in the best interest of the party and the ticket to make that determination now, rather than wait.”

“Let me make it clear I didn’t have a heart attack, didn’t have a stroke,” said Herrity. “I’m well on my way to recovery. I had some pretty severe complications from a heart surgery to fix a genetic condition, and those complications are stretching my recovery out much longer than I had thought. And again, I’ve come to the conclusion that the stress of trying to get back in [the race], it’s going to impact my health negatively. It’s going to delay my recovery, and I’m not going to be able to give it all it takes to do a statewide race.”

Herrity will continue to represent Springfield district in Fairfax County as the only Republican on the Board of Supervisors.

More here.