Jack Ryan, the republican candidate for the Illinois' U.S. senate seat, is dropping out of the race.

In a statement released Friday, Ryan says if he stayed in the race, a "brutal, scorched-earth campaign" would follow, "without any discussion of key issues.”

The republican's own party has been trying to get Ryan to step down since his divorce records were made public. In them, his former wife, actress Jeri Ryan, alleges Ryan took her to sex clubs and pressured her to perform sex acts while others watched.

Local members from both parties say they aren't surprised Ryan is quitting the race. They believe Ryan’s claims that nothing in his divorce records would embarrass the party contributed to his downfall.

Democratic Chairman for Winnebago County Greg Tuite and Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen both say it’s best to always be honest in politics, and Ryan should’ve been up front about his past.

The Republican Party must now choose a new candidate who is willing to raise millions of dollars and stake their reputation in an election that is only months away. State republicans have been tossing a few names around on which candidate they'd like to see face democrat Barack Obama. Among those who have been mentioned are State Senator Steve Rauschenberger and dairy owner Jim Oberweis, both of whom lost to Ryan in the primary.