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Jake Corman drops out of governor's race, endorses Lou Barletta

Jake Corman drops out of governor's race, endorses Lou Barletta
Jake Corman drops out of governor's race, endorses Lou Barletta 00:27

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Jake Corman, a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, announced Thursday that he's dropping out of the race and endorsing Lou Barletta.

"Campaigning for governor has been a tremendous honor," he said in a statement. "It's been a true joy getting to meet and talk with so many good people - good Pennsylvanians."

In the same statement, Corman shared his support for Barletta.

"Lou Barletta is a hardworking former mayor and congressman who supports the America First Agenda," Corman said. "He's a tough, experienced and principled leader who can win in the fall. As Senate President Pro Tempore and a leader of our party, I believe it's my duty to put the Republican party first. There's a tremendous opportunity to do something that we've only done once in the last two decades - elect a Republican as governor of Pennsylvania. The only thing that will prevent this is if we nominate someone who cannot possibly win in the fall, and that's a real possibility with nine candidates in this race."

The Pennsylvania primary is Tuesday.

Corman, from Centre County, was first elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1998.

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