The Democratic candidate for Alabama's 6th Congressional District has withdrawn from the race leaving the Alabama Democratic Party just a few short weeks to find a replacement.

On Wednesday, the Democratic nominee, Avery Vise, sent a letter to state Democratic Party chairwoman Nancy Worley explaining that new business opportunities would make it impossible for him to give the race the time it deserves.

"I have tried unsuccessfully to recruit a new candidate," Vise wrote in the letter. "While I could have remained just a name on the ballot, such a token level of representation serves neither the party's interests nor mine, and it doesn't further my goal of generating a full and open debate."

Vise was considered to be a longshot in the strongly conservative Republican-held congressional district. Last month, Gary Palmer won the Republican nomination after a runoff against state Rep. Paul DeMarco.

In his letter, Vise said that gerrymandering in the state had made party competitive races difficult, if not impossible.

"Alabama is a conservative state, but gerrymandering has manipulated the boundaries of legislative districts to eliminate any semblance of competition," he wrote. "Such lopsided districts discourage candidate recruiting, voter engagement, competitive elections and responsive elected representatives."

According to Vise, gerrymandering the neighboring 7th Congressional District to create a majority-minority district has diluted Democratic influence throughout the state, and he said he hopes a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court could end the practice.