Madison Engineering Division construction supervisor John Blotz announced Friday he is ending his campaign for Madison mayor.
Blotz said without having any previous political experience, he does not have the resources at this point to be competitive in the primary election Feb. 15.
The UW-Madison alumnus and lifelong Madison resident emerged as a third candidate when he criticized incumbent Dave Cieslewicz at a mayoral forum earlier this month.
Blotz said he disapproved of Cieslewicz for taking part in side projects such as those involving bike transportation and eco-friendly initiatives.
Blotz said when he declared candidacy there was a chance of getting through the primary election to challenge Cieslewicz. However, this changed when former Mayor Paul Soglin entered the race for mayor.
""When Paul Soglin announced his candidacy, it was immediately obvious that the race would be dominated by Cieslewicz and Soglin,"" Blotz said in a statement.
In his statement, Blotz said he met some ""great Madisonians"" over the past month and thanked the Madison residents who offered their encouragement.
""I continue to call for honesty, integrity and transparency in our city government,"" Blotz said in a statement.
Cieslewicz, Soglin, stand-up comedian Nick Hart and blogger Dennis de Nure remain as mayoral candidates and will face off in the upcoming primary election.
