AUGUSTA — One of the eight Republicans running for governor dropped out of the race Thursday after he failed to qualify for public funding.

Sen. Jim Libby (R-Standish) posted a short message on social media announcing his decision.

“As I did not qualify for Clean Elections financial support, I have determined that my campaign is no longer viable,” he wrote. “I want to thank my supporters and certainly wish that I could have given you the outcome that you fought for.”

The announcement came just hours after a finding by the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices that Libby failed to meet the requirements to receive Maine Clean Act funding. 

The public financing system is a voluntary program that makes funds available to candidates running for governor, state representative and state senate.

The report found that staff hired by Libby failed to collect 3,200 valid qualifying contributions of $5 from registered voters. It cited “missing or unsigned documentation, failure to provide proof that some contributors were registered to vote, signatures on paperwork that do not appear to be authentic.”

In addition, the finding singled out someone described as “Collector 1” who is accused of asking members of the public to say they had given $5 when they had not.

The report did not find evidence that Libby authorized the potentially fraudulent conduct, but it said he bore some responsibility to hire a “compliance director” to ensure that things were done appropriately. 

Libby was one of eight Republicans who met the signature threshold to qualify for the June 9 ballot, alongside Jonathan Bush, David Jones, Garrett Mason, Bobby Charles, Robert Wessels, Ben Midgley and Owen McCarthy.