Kyle Nembhard drops out of Anne Arundel executive race, endorses James Kitchin

Kyle Nembhard, a community activist and regional planner for Amtrak, dropped out of the Democratic primary for Anne Arundel County executive just days before early voting.

Nembhard on Monday endorsed James Kitchin, a special assistant to term-limited County Executive Steuart Pittman. The move was first reported by the Capital Gazette.

“The values and principles on which I built this campaign are far larger than myself,” Nembhard said in a statement. “To ensure those principles succeed, I am fully prepared to step aside and do what is necessary to advance the work.”

Allison Pickard and Pete Smith, both members of the County Council, also remain in the race.

Nembhard has neither held elected office nor worked in local government. His campaign coffers were relatively small; he reported just $828 in his campaign account in late May.

Dave Crawford, a volunteer fire chief, is the sole Republican running in the primary.

Early voting in the primary begins Thursday and runs through June 18. The primary election is June 23.