This story has been updated.

The abrupt end of Erin Stewart’s campaign for governor Thursday gives a relieved Republican Party a new frontrunner a day before delegates are to gather at Mohegan Sun for a two-day nominating convention.

Stewart’s stunning announcement came with a wholehearted endorsement of her chief rival for the nomination, state Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich. But the third candidate, Newsmax host Betsy McCaughey, is making an appeal to Stewart’s delegates.

“Now I’m asking people to make me the nominee, not just put me on the ballot,” McCaughey said. McCaughey’s goal until Thursday was trying to get the support of 15% of the delegates, the minimum necessary to qualify for a primary in August.

Relief and sadness were palpable Thursday among Republicans who had watched Stewart struggle to explain personal purchases she made with a city credit card as the mayor of New Britain.

“This was undoubtedly a difficult decision, but one made after thoughtful and candid discussions about what is best for her family, her children, and our party moving forward,” said Ben Proto, the GOP state chair.

The final blow was an investigative report commissioned by the city that found the “great majority” of the $207,076 in purchases charged to Stewart’s city-issued credit card over nearly a decade were unrelated to city business — and that a criminal investigation was warranted.

The reaction from Republican leaders ranged from muted to sympathetic.

“Erin Stewart ran a hard-fought campaign that engaged many great Republicans across Connecticut and brought more people into the process,” Fazio said in a statement. “We respect the decision she announced today and appreciate everyone who participated in this race in support of their vision for our state.”

Stewart had called Fazio before withdrawing, but not McCaughey.

In an interview, McCaughey said she reached out to Stewart without success.

“I called Erin Stewart and left them a nice message,” she said.

Like Fazio and other Republicans, she pivoted to criticism of Gov. Ned Lamont, the Democrat who is seeking a third term. She said state spending under Lamont is out of control.

“I’m so glad that Republicans can stop slugging each other,” she said. “Finally, we’re going to focus on that spending rather than Erin Stewart’s spending.”

Fazio did not return calls for comment. He now has to decide if he will try to influence the convention’s choice of a running mate.

One quirk of Connecticut election law is that candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately at the convention and primary but as a ticket on the general election ballot in November,

Rep. Tim Ackert, R-Coventry, who was Stewart’s choice, and Matt Corey are declared candidates for lieutenant governor. Ackert said Stewart’s withdrawal will not end his campaign for the nomination.

While he was competing with Stewart for delegates, Fazio had declined to express a preference.

House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, who endorsed Fazio early in the campaign, said taking sides in a competitive race for lieutenant governor had little upside when Fazio was fighting for delegates.

“Everything is fluid now,” Candelora said.

If Fazio wishes to select a running mate other than Ackert or Corey, a Manchester businessman who has run unsuccessfully for the General Assembly and Congress, he most likely will have to act Friday.

For a candidate to be considered by the convention, they would have to gather signatures from 100 delegates or 25 delegates from 25 different communities, Proto said.

Until Thursday morning, Stewart was scheduled to hold a reception for delegates Friday and address the convention in advance of balloting Saturday morning. Now, her focus turns to assessing potential civil and criminal liability.

Her Democratic successor, Mayor Bobby Sanchez, says the city will seek repayment. The report by the Crumbie Law Group, the law firm hired by Sanchez to investigate, is in the hands of state and federal investigators.

Stewart, who turned 39 this month, began the campaign as a phenomenon: A young white Republican who had won six two-year terms as mayor of a small Democratic city dominated by people of color.

She offered herself as “something different.”

Brash in person and more so on social media, she generated passion among supporters and detractors in the GOP. 

At a final campaign rally Tuesday night, she was defiant, portraying herself as a victim of a witch hunt. But in a statement issued not long after the release of the investigative report on Thursday, she was contrite.

“I will take accountability for any mistakes, and I intend to make full and complete restitution to the City of New Britain — my home — for anything that I owe,” Stewart said.

Candelora said she had little choice but to quit.

“Erin has made the right decision for herself and for Connecticut,” Candelora said. “Public service demands the highest standards of integrity, and when a public official or candidate fails to meet them, there is really only one appropriate path forward.”