Massachusetts Senate Race 2012: Tom Conroy Drops Out, Further Clearing Field For Elizabeth Warren

Democratic Massachusetts State Representative Thomas P. Conroy withdrew from the U.S. Senate race Monday, further clearing the field for Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren.

"After much reflection, it is clear that, while support for my candidacy has been generous, we could not run the kind of campaign we needed to run throughout next year," wrote Conroy on his website. He told the Boston Globe that fundraising was "getting increasingly difficult."

Between August, when she launched her campaign, and the end of September, Warren raised more than $3.15 million, with 57 percent of that sum coming from donors who contributed $200 or less, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. A recent UMass Lowell-Boston Herald poll found her leading Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) by a 49-42 margin.

Newton Mayor Setti Warren, City Year co-founder Alan Khazei and former candidate for lieutenant governor Robert Massie have all dropped out of the Democratic race to challenge Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.). Attorney Marisa DeFranco, attorney Jim King and software engineer Herb Robinson remain in the race.

Conroy said he wouldn't run for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) but would run for reelection as a state representative. When asked by the Globe whether he would endorse Warren, he said that he plans to meet with her soon to discuss the matter.