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The Edmonton region’s only candidate for the Progressive Conservative leadership is pulling out.

Friday morning, Stephen Khan will make it official. The former St. Albert MLA and former Tory cabinet minister is quitting the PC race — his dream of reviving a moderate, centrist party, collapsing around him.

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“As a pragmatic businessman, at a certain point, you have to stop hitting your head against a wall,” said Khan. “I entered this race because I believed the PC army would show up. But what I’ve seen is that there are more federal Conservative/Reformers and Wildrosers who want to tear down and destroy our party than there are PCs who want to save it.”

Khan, 50, said he launched his campaign in the hopes of creating a modern party, fiscally conservative but socially progressive, with appeal to young, urban and multicultural Albertans.

At first, he says, his campaign went well, attracting diverse volunteers and raising money.