Mandela Barnes, the former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin and 2022 Democratic Senate nominee, dropped out of the Democratic gubernatorial primary race on Thursday.

Barnes told staff in a conversation on Wednesday that there is a clear choice for the Democratic nomination, implicitly acknowledging socialist Francesca Hong’s overwhelming lead in the polls ahead of the Aug. 11 primary. Barnes’s decision to exit the race also came amid reporting of allegations that he was taking advantage of his role in the party to have sexual encounters with young adult women.