There won’t be two Georges running for Colorado attorney general after all.

Saying he believes it’s important for the GOP to “consolidate behind one candidate” for attorney general, George Leing, Colorado’s Republican National Committeeman and a former congressional candidate, announced Monday that he won’t be joining one-time gubernatorial candidate George Brauchler in the race.

Brauchler, the district attorney who prosecuted the Aurora theater shooter, said early Monday he was abandoning his campaign for governor to run for attorney general after Republican incumbent Cynthia Coffman switched from a reelection bid to the governor’s race.

Leing said last week after Coffman announced her move that he was considering a run for attorney general. A week earlier, state Rep. Cole Wist, R-Centennial, said the same thing. Wist, however, said early Monday he wasn’t going to pursue the GOP nomination once Brauchler declared he wanted it.

At press time, no other Republicans had said they were thinking about a run for attorney general.

Five Democrats are running for the office: state Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton; former CU Law School Dean Phil Weiser; state prosecutor Michael Dougherty; former state and federal prosecutor Amy Padden; and Denver attorney Brad Levin. Between them, they’ve raised a total of $1.1 million for their campaigns.

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Leing stopped short of endorsing Brauchler – as a member of the Republican National Committee, it wouldn’t be appropriate, he said – but described the prosecutor as the candidate best positioned to hit the ground running.

“With the news last week that this will be an open seat in next year’s election, any Republican candidate will need to overcome the consequences of a late start in order to win this race,” Leing said. “However, George Brauchler has been running for months as a candidate for governor of Colorado, and his work in that race provides him with a strong platform from which to run for attorney general.

“Given the timing and the critical importance of this race, I feel it would enhance the chances of a Republican victory if we were to consolidate behind one candidate in the race for attorney general. Accordingly, after deliberating with my family and my team and having discussed the matter with Mr. Brauchler, I have determined not to enter as a candidate for this office at this time.”

Leing, a lawyer who’s worked in the private equity and high tech fields, lost an election in 2014 against U.S. Rep. Jared Polis. While he came up about 7 points short, Leing had the distinction that year of winning the most votes of any losing congressional candidate in the country. Leing is one of Colorado’s three RNC members, along with Republican National Committeewoman Vera Ortegon and state GOP Chairman Jeff Hays.