Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas turned in a batch of supplemental $5 contributions in his bid to qualify for Clean Elections funding in the governor’s race.

Sen. Al Melvin withdrew from the Republican primary for governor on Monday, citing the slow pace of his collection of contributions to qualify for Clean Elections funding.

Melvin appears to be setting the stage for an early exit from the gubernatorial race. In an email to supporters, Melvin pleaded for $5 contributions to qualify for public financing and thereby make his run viable.

Sen. Al Melvin said he’ll withdraw from the Republican primary for governor if he can’t qualify for Clean Elections funding.

Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas was denied Clean Elections funding for his gubernatorial campaign after falling short of the number of qualifying contributions he needs.

The end of matching funds precipitated record low participation in Arizona’s Clean Elections system this year, and the candidates who switched away from publicly funded campaigns fared well.

With her fundraising for the primary officially complete, Gov. Jan Brewer has one less thing to worry about as she wages her campaign for a full term on the Ninth Floor.