TROY — Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and Richard Crist, the county's operations director and a longtime GOP operative, pressured Republican candidate Thomas A. Reale to drop out of the Troy mayoral race this week during a heated meeting in which the pair screamed and allegedly leveled threats at the 37-year-old political newcomer.

The meeting at the Rensselaer County GOP headquarters on Monday was also attended by former Congressman John Sweeney and Jim Gordon, a former city councilman and Troy mayoral candidate who was tapped by McLaughlin last year for a job as the county's purchasing director, according to multiple sources briefed on the confrontation.

The threats allegedly made against Reale centered on any future political aspirations he may have as well as his employment as a longtime state Senate Republican aide, according to people briefed on the matter.

It's unclear whether McLaughlin or Crist could have exerted any influence over Reale's state employment. McLaughlin is a former state assemblyman who left that office for his county position just weeks after being sanctioned in 2017 for sexually harassing a female legislative aide. Crist, who has done GOP political consulting for many years, was placed on unpaid leave from March to August amid an FBI probe.

A Senate Republican source said that GOP leaders in that chamber were aware of Reale's run for mayor but said his employment "was never in any jeopardy."

Reached Wednesday, just hours after he announced he would be stepping down from the race, Reale declined to comment on the meeting. Neither Crist nor McLaughlin responded to requests for comment. Sweeney, who sources said arrived to the meeting late and had been asked to attend as a mediator, declined to comment.

Reale's name will still appear on the Republican and Conservative lines and absentee ballots, which have already been issued. But the suspension of his candidacy sets up a more focused two-way showdown between Democratic Mayor Patrick Madden and Rodney Wiltshire, who lost June's Democratic primary to the incumbent.

Wiltshire, a former City Council president and enrolled Democrat, is running on the Green and Independence party lines. Madden also has the Working Families line.

This is believed to be the first time that a city Republican or Democratic mayoral candidate has left the race while still on the ballot.

"It is with a heavy heart that I announce today the suspension of my campaign for mayor," Reale said in a statement released Wednesday morning.

"The circumstances of this campaign have placed an increasing amount of strain and stress on my family, and following a great deal of reflection and prayer, I have reached the difficult conclusion that this is the best path forward," wrote the 37-year-old.

Reale's departure from the race ensures any anti-Madden vote will not be split.

"What just happened is the party bosses of the Republican party told their candidate to get out to free up support for Rodney Wiltshire," said City Democratic Chairman Gary Galuski.

City Republicans turned to Reale as their mayoral candidate when they could not find other candidates. Reale had initially wanted to run for the 3rd District City Council seat.

Some Republican committee members and party supporters had begun carrying Wiltshire campaign literature this past weekend in door-to-door campaigning. Wiltshire signs have been paired with those of other Republican candidates in the city, while Reale barely had a presence.

Two longtime Troy Republican operatives said they didn't understand why McLaughlin would get involved in city politics when the city GOP committee is not a player; Democrats enjoy a 3-to-1 enrollment edge over Republicans in the city. One operative predicted Reale will collect 1,000 votes on the Republican and Conservative lines even though he's not campaigning.

A third city Republican said Reale's campaign never gained traction with the county GOP — ostensibly led by McLaughlin — and he was running on his own without any support. Reale's fundraisers were lightly attended, and he was managing his own campaign without support from Crist, who is relied on by Republicans across the county.

Madden, 64, won June's Democratic primary by 200 votes over Wiltshire, a 45-year-old engineer who grew up in Troy, teaches at Hudson Valley Community College and was first elected to the City Council in 2011.

The primary was a replay of the 2015 Democratic contest, in which Madden defeated Wiltshire by just 25 votes.

Earlier: Troy mayoral candidates face off

Troy's unexpected Republican mayoral candidate runs in Democratic city

As he left the race, Reale's statement touted issues he raised during the campaign, including ways to improve the delivery of city services. He also panned moves by the city council to declare Troy a "sanctuary city."

"We have made an impact during this campaign, and I am proud of the work that we have accomplished together," Reale said.

The absence of an active GOP mayoral campaign could depress Republican-Conservative turnout, possibly threatening Republicans' attempt to regain control of the City Council.

"Politics is a funny animal. I'm not surprised at anything that happens in our city," said Councilman Jim Gulli, a Republican who represents Lansingburgh, the closest thing to a GOP stronghold in the city.

Council President Carmella Mantello said she's concentrating on winning re-election and gaining a four-seat council majority.

"I plan to not get involved in the mayor's race," she said.