Updated 5:30 p.m.
Workers' rights attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan has announced that she is ending her primary challenge to Democratic Massachusetts U.S. Senator Edward Markey.
"Unfortunately, sometimes some obstacles are too great to overcome, and that is the situation my candidacy for Senate finds itself in," Liss-Riordan said in a emailed statement Friday morning.
She said she will continue to work to get Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren elected president.
In a statement Friday morning, Markey thanked Liss-Riordan for her "significant contributions to this primary election."
At an event in Springfield Friday, Markey focused his take on Liss-Riordan's decision by praising her.
"I have no idea what the consequences politically for me are of her withrawal," he said. "I just think that today I should actually note what a great candidacy she had, and her voice was, I think, a valuable one."
Markey said he spoke with Liss-Riordan on Friday. Asked if he'd requested her support, Markey did not directly answer.
"Her commitment on behalf of workers needing a stronger voice has fundamentally changed their lives for the better and will continue to be a powerful message we all must heed and act upon," Markey said in his statement earlier in the day. "The fact that Shannon participated in the primary’s first debate on climate issues demonstrated that she knows we need to fight hard, not only to save the planet, but for justice and equity. We continue to need her voice and strength in this climate crisis movement and in Massachusetts politics. I wish her and her family well as she continues her leadership in public service."
Liss-Riordan launched her campaign in May, touting her successes fighting major corporations and universities on behalf of workers. She did not endorse either Markey, or his remaining major Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III.
"They are both inspiring people and I will be a proud constituent of either," she wrote in her announcement.
Alden Bourne contributed to this report, which includes information from The Associated Press and State House News Service.
Correction: An earlier version of this report misspelled Shannon Liss-Riordan's name in the headline. The spelling has been corrected.
