Update: We’ve confirmed that Sen. Roy McDonald will not be running for a third term.

Jimmy Vielkind first reported this morning that McDonald will not be moving forward on the Independence Party line:

One source said McDonald, a two-term Republican incumbent who lost a GOP primary to Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione, made his decision “for the good of the party.” He has been largely silent since the Sept. 13 primary, as he weighed whether to push toward the November general election on the Independence Party line, which he secured over the summer.

McDonald is expected to make announcement later today.

The move comes after Gov. Andrew Cuomo wrote in a letter released yesterday that he would support McDonald should he continue on the third-party line. The letter allowed Cuomo to thread the needle on the issue: He backed a supporter of same-sex marriage while also not technically supporting a GOP candidate who ultimately is not going to be running.

McDonald’s name is still on November ballot, but he can choose to suspend his campaign.

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