He filed his withdrawal today with the Secretary of State’s office. In a statement released today, Monday, Feb. 8, Holcomb said:

“Today I withdrew my name as a candidate for the United States Senate as Janet and I believe we have been called to serve our beloved state in a different capacity. It has been a tremendous honor to serve Hoosiers as a member of the staffs of Gov. Mitch Daniels, Sen. Dan Coats and as chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.

“Janet and I are grateful for the tremendous support we received from all over the state of Indiana during our campaign. With more people working today than ever before in our state’s history and record investments in transportation and education, I couldn’t be more exited for all that Hoosiers have accomplished and I look forward to announcing soon how I will serve our state in the years to come.”

Holcomb was Coats’ former chief of staff and entered the race in 2015.

The Republican U.S. Senate race is said to be the hot primary race to watch in Indiana. Holcomb’s departure leaves three Republicans fighting it out in the primary — U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, Indiana 3rd District, Rep. Todd Young, Indiana 9th district and Kevin Grant, a military veterans and emergency room physician from Lafayette.

Former Rep. Baron Hill, Indiana 9th district, is running unopposed in the primary as the Democratic candidate.