Former U.S. Representative Mark Sanford of South Carolina has abandoned his long-shot bid to challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2020, he said on Tuesday.

Axar.az reports referring to Reuters.

Sanford, 59, a longtime Trump critic, announced his campaign two months ago. Two other Republicans are running against Trump: former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld and former U.S. Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois.

Sanford attributed his decision to end his bid to remove Trump as the Republican nominee on the inability to attract attention to his key issue, the national debt.

“I am suspending my race for the presidency because impeachment has made my goal of making the debt, deficit and spending issue a part of this presidential debate impossible right now,” Sanford said in a statement.

The U.S. House of Representatives are conducting an impeachment inquiry into Trump regarding his dealings with Ukraine.

Trump, who remains overwhelmingly popular among Republican voters, is heavily favored to capture his party’s nomination next year.

Sanford lost his seat in Congress last year after a Trump-backed challenger beat him in the Republican primary. He had previously served two terms as South Carolina’s governor, as well as a separate stint in the U.S. House of Representatives.