NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - State Rep. Brian Kelsey's only opponent in a Republican primary contest to fill a vacant Senate seat in suburban Memphis is dropping out of the race.

Shelby County Republican Party Chairman Lang Wiseman says in a release Thursday that James Harrell's decision clears the way for Kelsey to resign from the House with ample time to trigger a special election to fill that seat.

Kelsey, a Germantown attorney, previously announced he would resign from the House if he won the Oct. 15 primary. Now he says he will resign before the end of this month to allow the primary election for his House seat to be scheduled on the same day as the Dec. 1 general election in the Senate race.

Kelsey is running to succeed former Sen. Paul Stanley, a Germantown Republican who resigned last month after court documents revealed he admitted to investigators that he'd had an affair with his 22-year-old intern.

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