NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) - Former State Sen. Mae Beavers announced Tuesday she is dropping out of the race for Tennessee governor.

"After criss-crossing the state and meeting thousands of fellow Tennesseans, it was not a light decision to make because you have embraced our conservative message whole-heartedly; however, it is the right choice to make," she wrote in a statement on her campaign's Facebook page.

Beavers, a Republican, also said she didn't feel like entering the race was in vain because many of the issues at the heart of her campaign have been taken up by other candidates.

The Tennessean wrote earlier on Tuesday of her struggle to raise campaign funds, saying she had only brought in just under $150,000 in the last six months.

Beavers resigned her seat in the State Senate in August to campaign full-time for governor.