Rod Phillips is ending his bid for the Progressive Conservatives leadership to back Caroline Mulroney.

Phillips, 52, the former head of Postmedia, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and CivicAction, made the announcement Sunday.

The Tory candidate for Ajax had been considering a run to become PC leader in the wake of Patrick Brown’s sudden resignation Jan. 25 after allegations of sexual impropriety.

“In the last week and a half, I have been humbled by the many friends and party activists who have urged me to enter the race for the leadership of the PC Party,” said Phillips.

“These supporters told me that it is more urgent than ever that we choose a leader who can unite our party and defeat Kathleen Wynne.”

He had led the charge for the party to hold a leadership contested so members can pick a new chief.

Initially, the caucus at Queen’s Park tried to stop that and have interim leader Vic Fedeli take the Tories into the June 7 election.

“I am proud of the role that I and others played in ensuring that party members across the province have the opportunity to vote for a new leader. It was the right thing to do,” he said, saying Mulroney, 43, should be that leader.

“Caroline and I — like many of our party’s candidates across Ontario — represent a new generation of inclusive and accountable leadership for the Progressive Conservative party,” said Phillips.

“Caroline will unite our party and lead us to victory in June and I look forward to working closely with her to achieve that,” he said.

“We have the opportunity to choose a determined, fresh and dynamic leader, in Caroline Mulroney. Caroline has my enthusiastic support, because she will unite our party and lead us to victory.”

His endorsement gives Mulroney a big boost in the contest that will conclude March 10.

The other candidates are former MPP Christine Elliott, who was the runner-up to Brown in the 2015 leadership, and Doug Ford, who lost the 2014 Toronto mayoral race to John Tory.

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