A Republican primary that was overflowing with candidates has narrowed by about a third since former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick got into the race a week ago. The latest to exit was Jeffrey Schott, who announced his decision in a statement Friday. Unlike three other candidates who have stepped aside, Schott did not endorse Fitzpatrick. In fact, he didn’t even mention the Republican front-runner.

“I have been motivated and uplifted with the heart-felt support and concern of everyone I have spoken to,” Schott said. “Unfortunately, simply wanting to carry out the will of the people alone is not enough. You need the support of your local party and/or the ability to raise large sums of money in order to run a successful campaign. Because I have not been able to do either, I have decided to end my race for the 8th Congressional district.”

Pittsburgh lawyer Keith Rothfus, a former official at the Department of Homeland Security, announced Tuesday that he had filed paperwork to run against Congressman Jason Altmire in the 4th District. And Warrington computer consultant Jeffrey Schott told pa2010.com that he is running against Congressman Patrick Murphy in the 8th District.

Altmire is in a district that the GOP has badly hoped to win back, but the party has thus far been unable to coax its top recruit, state Representative Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny), into the race. In a statement, Rothfus said Congress was not helping businesses create jobs.

“I know from my clients the issues that businesses are facing as they work to remain viable and to add jobs in this economy,” he said. “The Democratic Party has had a lock on Congress for close to three years now. The Democratic Congress has done nothing to enact pro-growth policies, and we see the national unemployment rate at 9.7%. We need policies that focus on lowering the tax burden on employers, not policies that add new costs, such as the health care and cap and trade bills pending in Congress.”

After unseating Republican incumbent Melissa Hart in 2006, Altmire edged her again last year.

Schott, who will face an uphill battle against an increasingly strong incumbent in a blue-trending district, also railed against Democrats in Congress.

“I think that our government is out of control,” he said in a brief interview. “They’re not acting with any fiscal responsibility whatsoever with all the deficit spending. Both sides are too driven by special-interest groups.”

Calling himeself a moderate, Schott added: “The challenge for me will not be having a big name.”