Patrick Brown鈥檚 quest to lead Ontario鈥檚 Progressive Conservatives ended Monday with the Barrie, Ont., politician saying the leadership race had taken a toll on his family and distracted from the party鈥檚 ultimate goal of defeating the Liberals in the spring election.

Brown鈥檚 short-lived leadership campaign, which was triggered by his resignation as party leader last month amid sexual misconduct allegations, was marred by internal party accusations of corruption and misconduct.

鈥淚t has become increasingly evident that my participation in this democratic race has, for some, become a source of distraction from the real goal of replacing this tired Liberal government with a pragmatic, moderate, fiscally responsible alternative,鈥� Brown wrote in a four-page letter posted on social media.

鈥淚 am calling on the remaining leadership candidates to put thoughtful, considered, affordable, pragmatic public policy first,鈥� he said.

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Four candidates now remain in the leadership race 鈥� former legislator Christine Elliott, lawyer Caroline Mulroney, former Toronto city councillor Doug Ford and parental rights advocate Tanya Granic Allen.

Brown said his friends were 鈥渟ubjected to attacks鈥� after he announced he was entering the race.

鈥淪hots were fired indiscriminately against anyone associated with me 鈥� friends within the party, business colleagues in Barrie, great people who worked with me at Queen鈥檚 Park. They didn鈥檛 sign up for this,鈥� he said.

Brown鈥檚 departure plunged the Tories into chaos, exposing a deep rift between the party executive, which kicked him out of caucus, and the base.

Interim Ontario PC Leader Vic Fedeli thanked Brown for quitting the race, calling it the right decision for the party and himself.

鈥淗e is right to focus on clearing his name,鈥� Fedeli said in a statement.

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Mulroney, who last week repeatedly called for Brown to back out of the leadership race, welcomed his decision in a statement released shortly after his announcement.

鈥淚 know what it means when political involvement takes a toll on the people you care about the most,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow, more than ever, we need to move forward without these distractions. Patrick has done the right thing.鈥�

Doug Ford said he鈥檚 not focused on Brown, but instead thinks people should be paying attention to their opponent in the election 鈥� Premier Kathleen Wynne.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 care who鈥檚 in the race,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 focused on (Wynne) and making sure that we turn this province around.鈥�

Christine Elliott did not directly mention Brown鈥檚 departure from the race in a statement on social media, but urged unity.

It鈥檚 not immediately clear if Brown is eligible to receive any, or a portion, of the $100,000 in deposits he paid to enter the leadership race.

Tory members are set to begin voting online for the new leader on March 2 and the winner will be announced on March 10 in Markham, Ont.

Shawn Jeffords, The Canadian Press

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