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Citing family and business commitments, Perry Hall attorney Mike Pappas withdrew his bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination this week and threw his support to former Ehrlich administration official Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.

Pappas, who became the first entrant in the 2010 gubernatorial contest when he announced his candidacy in December, said he and Hogan shared similar viewpoints and joked that they would have had to find something to disagree on for debates.

Hogan is also better positioned to build a grass-roots operation, raise the necessary funds and have cross-party appeal to mount a viable challenge against Gov. Martin O'Malley, Pappas said.

"Both of us are of the opinion that this is a fight worth fighting, that somebody needs to step up to the challenge and that we need to put our best player on the field," Pappas said.

Hogan, who announced an exploratory campaign for governor in September, served as appointments secretary under Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), who is still mulling a potential rematch against O'Malley (D). Hogan has said he will withdraw if his former boss opts to run.

Hogan, who heads a real estate company in Annapolis, lost a 1992 bid to unseat Rep. Steny H. Hoyer. The 53 to 44 percent margin remains the closest any Republican has come to defeating Hoyer (D-Dist. 5) of Mechanicsville.

Pappas said Wednesday that he decided to withdraw after his wife was asked to serve as president of the Junior League of Baltimore, which meant taking on more responsibilities with his twin 3-year-old daughters. He also noted an uptick in his work as a construction attorney as a reason for halting the campaign.

Hogan said he was encouraged by Republican triumphs on Tuesday in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections.

"I think it says a lot about angry, frustrated voters fed up with incumbents in general, and all of that points to giving us a better shot in Maryland," he said.