Former U.S. Rep. Doug Ose said Tuesday he was dropping out of the California gubernatorial recall race after suffering a heart attack.
"Sometimes you have to do things that you don't want to do. It is what is: my campaign for governor is over," Ose said in a statement sent from his campaign Tuesday morning.
Ose said that while he was expected to make a full recovery, additional procedures and potential surgery were required and he had to devote his attention to rehabilitation and healing.
Ose said he suffered the heart attack Sunday and was treated at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, California.
The Sacramento-area real estate developer and rancher served in Congress from 1999 to 2005.
The Republican entered the race in mid-March, before the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom officially qualified for the ballot.
In his statement Tuesday, Ose urged voters to vote yes on the recall's first question and "put an end to the current reign of corruption and hypocrisy." He has not yet endorsed another candidate.
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