McGuire withdrawing from lieutenant gov's race

ANCHORAGE (AP) ­– An Alaska state senator says she's withdrawing from the race for lieutenant governor, a move that appears to leave Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan alone in the Republican primary.

The Anchorage Daily News reports that Sen. Lesil McGuire on Monday cited concerns about how the race would interfere with her family life.

McGuire also said she thought she could be more effective in the Senate.

McGuire and Sullivan had been vying to be Gov. Sean Parnell's running mate later this year. Parnell is not expected to face any real primary challenge.

On the Democratic side, Senate Minority Leader Hollis French of Anchorage and Palmer math teacher Bob Williams are running for lieutenant governor.

The state's current lieutenant governor, Republican Mead Treadwell, is seeking his party's nomination for U.S. Senate.