Sen. Jim Kyle pulled out of the governor’s race Friday. The Memphis Democrat says he looked at the political headwinds and didn’t think he could get elected.

“From the get-go, I was going to have to win on message and not money. And I just made the decision, and evaluation and decision, that folks weren’t going to ear me this fall.”

Kyle’s exit leaves Kim McMillan of Clarksville and Mike McWherter of Jackson in the Democratic Primary. In the Republican field, four candidates remain.

GOP candidates have attracted most of the attention thus far and have far outraised Democrats.

Sen. Kyle says fundraising was a factor, but he says he didn’t see a victory in the state’s current political environment.

“There is a lot of energy on the Republican side, and Democrats are going to have to capture, the remaining Democratic candidates are going to have to create and generate energy of their own, and I look forward to seeing them to do that.”

Kyle says his duties as Democratic leader in the Senate would also have hampered his ability to campaign. In addition, legislators are not allowed to fundraise during session, which could last through May.