Sen. Angus King (I-ME) endorsed Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME) for governor on Wednesday, a few hours after Independent candidate Eliot Cutler, who King had previously endorsed, announced at a strange press conference that he was staying in the race, despite trailing Michaud and Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R).

“After many months considering the issues and getting to know the candidates, it is clear that the voters of Maine are not prepared to elect Eliot in 2014,” King said.

Mention of King’s previous backing of Cutler had been used in a recent Republican Governors Association ad which seemed to try to draw supporters away from Michaud and to Cutler.

Recent polling has shown two important things about this strategy. First, Cutler has lagged far behind LePage and Michaud but not enough for Cutler’s candidacy to be completely insignificant. A recent Public Policy Polling Survey by the Maine Conservation Voters Action Fund has also found more Cutler supporters said Michaud was their second choice than LePage.

Here is King’s full statement:

Eliot Cutler is a fine man who would make a good governor of our state. He is a friend who I believe would be a true consensus builder, ready to put solutions ahead of politics. My feelings about Eliot on these matters have not changed since I endorsed his candidacy four years ago and again this past August.

But, like Eliot, I too am a realist. After many months considering the issues and getting to know the candidates, it is clear that the voters of Maine are not prepared to elect Eliot in 2014.

The good news is that we still have a chance to elect a governor who will represent the majority of Maine people: my friend and colleague, Mike Michaud. And today, I’d like to offer him my support.

I have worked with Mike Michaud for twenty years and know that he has what it takes to be Maine’s next Governor. He has lived the American dream — going from the mill floor in Millinocket to the halls of Congress — and he knows in his heart that everyone, willing to work for it, deserves a chance to get ahead. Mike believes in protecting our environment and finding new ways to grow Maine’s economy and, as I have seen first-hand, is absolutely tenacious in defending Maine’s interests.

This was not an easy decision, but I think the circumstances require that those of us who have supported Eliot look realistically at the options before us at this critical moment in Maine history.