State Sen. Mary Washington ended her mayoral campaign Monday, saying she needed to devote her time to addressing the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is a time to set politics aside, as the health, safety and well-being being of my constituents must come first,” she said in a statement. “I have always followed the work, and right now, this is where I am needed most.

Washington is one of Maryland’s most progressive state senators, and received the endorsements of SEIU Local 500, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, Baltimore Women United and Our Revolution.

Polling over the past few weeks showed her support around 5%, which put her toward the front of the 32-candidate pack, but still behind other front-runners such as former Mayor Sheila Dixon and City Council President Brandon Scott.

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Washington, who in 2010 was the first openly LGBT+Black candidate elected to the House of Delegates, campaigned on ending the city’s pay-to-play procurement system.

Her full-time work in Annapolis during the legislative session often conflicted with her campaign for mayor, forcing her to miss some events and reducing facetime with voters.

“The extraordinary events of the past several weeks have drastically changed our way of life in Baltimore and across the nation,” she stated. “During this unprecedented time, I am deeply committed, first and foremost, to standing by the people of the 43rd District as their State Senator.”

With about $155,000 on hand at the time of her January campaign finance disclosure, Washington raised the fourth-most of any candidate, behind Young, Thiru Vignarajah and Scott. She reported receiving more money and donations than Dixon.

Her average donation was much lower than many other candidates, particularly Young and Vignarajah. She had more than twice as many contributions as Young and about the same number as Scott.