Jay Russell

Jay Russell was hoping to run for Congress against U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Bristol) and Republican Tom Manion.

But Constitution Candidate hopeful dropped his election bid this week before a hearing was set for a challenge to his candidacy, The Bucks County Courier Times reports.

Tom Lingenfelter, a Doylestown political activist running as an Independent in the 8th Congressional District race, had claimed in court papers that more than 2,500 of the signatures collected for Russell's nominating petitions were invalid.

One of the more tightly-contested Congressional races in the state got another candidate last week, after a Northampton farmer filed petitions to get on the ballot in the 8th Congressional District.

Jay Russell, 47, is running as a Constitution Party candidate, The Bucks County Courier Times reports. He joins U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Bristol), Republican Tom Manion and Independent Tom Lingenfelter in competing for the seat, which is mostly in Bucks County.

Despite the new competition, it remains largely a two-man race between Murphy and Manion, one national Republican strategists have said they think they can win.

Russell acknowledged his long-shot odds.

"Miracles happen, but the odds are against me," he told The Courier Times. "I want to give people a real choice."