SAVANNAH – First District of Georgia congressional candidate David Schwarz has suspended his campaign.

The former aide to Rep. Jack Kingston announced the move in a letter to friends and supporters Monday:

"After much contemplation and prayer, I have decided to suspend my congressional campaign," Schwarz wrote. "This was a very hard decision for me, because I truly feel that given my background and perspective, I could make a real difference and be a strong voice fighting for the citizens of the First District of Georgia in Congress at this critical time in our national history."

The Savannah Republican said he believes the economy in South Georgia has not recovered and that he felt uncomfortable soliciting donations from residents, especially young families. He's 38.

"However, our campaign’s support is in so many ways rooted in deep relationships with other young families. For these young families, and for people of all ages, the economy is still far from recovered in South Georgia, and we saw this firsthand as we travelled the district and visited with constituents and small business owners," he wrote.

His withdrawal leaves four announced Republicans vying for the nomination to replace Kingston, who is resigning to run for the Senate. They are State Sen. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, state Rep. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, Savannah physician Bob Johnson and Alma resident Darwin Carter. The election will be in 2014.