Attleboro Man Quits Congressional Race

The field of candidates to fill the Congressional seat for Massachusetts' 4th District has shrunk with the announcement early Thursday morning that Attleboro resident and Attleboro-Seekonk Patch blogger Paul Heroux has withdrawn from the race

"I am not seeking the nomination at this time because with limited resources there is no longer enough time to put together the sort of professional organization necessary to successfully compete in what has become a 'campaign-industrial complex,'" Heroux wrote on his campaign site.

The 35-year-old Democrat was considered a longshot in a race that includes fellow Democrats Joseph Kennedy III (grandson of deceased U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy), Jules Levine and Herb Robinson and Republicans Elizabeth Childs of and Sean Bielat. Heroux knew the odds were not in his favor.

"I am very appreciative of the support I earned from many volunteers and the many people I met with over the past three months," Heroux wrote. "This is not the right time for me to run for Congress but there will be other opportunities. As I entered this race I recognized the odds were very slim but at the end of the day I want to be left with the sentiment 'oh well,' not 'what if?'

This will be the first election for the newly formed 4th District, which was created following a state redistricting process that included the loss of a Massachusetts seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Current Rep. Barney Frank said last year he would not seek re-election because he did not want to go through a tough campaign.

The primary election will take place Sept. 6.

Editor's Note: The previous version of this story included the wrong date for the primary election.