A longshot Democrat withdrew from the race to replace U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud in Congress on Monday, setting up a two-way primary between the favorites for the party’s 2014 nomination.

Alden Smith, a former Navy officer and current reservist from Sangerville, said in a news release that lack of financial support for his campaign for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District made his candidacy untenable.

The other two Democrats running for the seat, state Sens. Emily Cain of Orono and Troy Jackson of Allagash, now are locked in a more straightforward race with about three months to go until the June primary.

“The people of our district have the opportunity to select their Democratic candidate from two people, either of whom will serve them well,” Smith said in a statement.

The candidate got little statewide attention after announcing his bid last year. He has no background in politics and struggled to raise money, announcing in January that he was going to put his “life savings” of $60,000 into the campaign.

He also wasn’t much of a factor in the political calculus of the Democratic primary. Internal primary polling from Cain’s campaign, released in January, had Smith at 2 percent, way behind Cain at 32 percent and Jackson at 17 percent.

Smith said in the news release that he will be moving to the Belfast area and will be returning to a Massachusetts diplomacy school to finish a master’s degree.

Michael Shepherd can be contacted at 370-7652 or at:

mshepherd@mainetoday.com