Former U.S. Representative Doug Ose announced Tuesday he was dropping out of the recall race challenging California Gov. Gavin Newsom after suffering a heart attack.
Ose said he suffered the heart attack on Sunday and was subsequently treated at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento.
In a statement, the former congressman said he has decided to refocus his attention away from campaigning and toward making a full recovery.
"It is what it is," Ose said. "My campaign for governor is over."
The Sacramento rancher and real-estate developer served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005. He entered the governor's race in March of this year.
Ose continued to urge voters to approve a recall of Newsom in the Sept. 14 election, to "put an end to the current reign of corruption and hypocrisy." He has not yet endorsed any of the other Republicans running.
