David Nachbar hasn't received the warmest welcome from some Democrats in the 29th Congressional District, but ultimately that's not why he's bowing out of the race. Chalk that up to his job.

In a letter sent this week to his supporters, Nachbar said he's pulling out of  the House of Representatives race because of the impending takeover of Bausch & Lomb by Warburg Pincus LLC. Right now he needs to focus on his job duties says Sean Hart, communications director for the county Democratic Committee. Nachbar is vice president of human resources at the company.

"We definitely can look to see more of him in the community and the party," Hart says.

Nachbar's candidacy was controversial from the start. Many grassroots Dems, particularly those with blogs, were critical of his bid. They argued that a candidate from suburban Monroe County (Nachbar lives in Pittsford) simply wouldn't appeal to the Southern Tier base of the district.

All of the town committees in Monroe County, as well as all of the county committees across the district, lined up behind Eric Massa for the bid. The Corning Democrat narrowly lost to Republican Randy Kuhl in 2006. Nachbar's withdrawal leaves him as the only Democratic candidate for the seat. In fact, he's the only candidate of any party who has declared his candidacy for the seat. Kuhl has not yet committed to seeking reelection.

The election for the 29th District seat in the House of Representatives will take place in November 2008.