Ronnie Shows has officially asked the secretary of state to take his name off the Nov. 4 special election ballot for the U.S. Senate.

Shows had said in February that he would not be a candidate, citing problems with raising money to take on former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican who was appointed to the post after Sen. Trent Lott resigned in December.

Shows’ letter to Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann was dated Thursday.

On the Net:

Secretary of state’s office, http://www.sos.state.ms.us