State Del. Alfonso Lopez, one of nearly a dozen Democrats seeking to replace retiring Rep. James P. Moran in Virginia’s 8th District, announced on Friday that he will drop out of the contest.  

Citing a lack of resources to run a campaign, Lopez said in a statement he is suspending his bid for this Northern Virginia-based House seat.  

“I am proud of how my campaign resonated with many voters in the Eighth District, especially new Americans, and that we assembled a coalition of many generous supporters,” Lopez said in a release. “However, after we closed the fundraising quarter, I took the time to evaluate, with my team, the position of my campaign. It is clear to me that I do not have the resources necessary to run the campaign we wanted and that the people of the Eighth District deserved.”  

His decision to drop out of the contest comes after the filing deadline for the race, and after the ballot order for the contest was decided . But Lopez’s name will not appear on the primary ballot.  

State election officials confirmed that his exit from the contest came early enough to ensure voters won’t see his name.  

“We still have time to get his name off the ballot,” said Edgardo Cortes, deputy secretary of the State Board of Elections. “We are reaching out to the 8th District chair, and as long as the chair for the district confirms that that person has dropped out, they will be removed from the ballot and everyone else will move up in order on the ballot.”  

Lopez did not endorse any of his former rivals for the nomination. Other Democrats in the race include former Lt. Gov. Don Beyer, sate Sen. Adam Ebbin, state Dels. Patrick Hope and Charniele Herring, former non-profit CEO Lavern Chatman and radio show host Mark Levine, among others.  

The Democratic primary will likely decide the next member of Congress from this district, which President Barack Obama carried by a 37-point margin in 2012.  

Virginia’s 8th District is rated a Safe Democratic contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.