An alliance is forming in the race for the Republican nomination for governor, with Jonathon Bush announcing fellow candidate Robert Wessels as his Congressional District 2 Grassroots Chair.

Meanwhile, Wessels says he’s not dropping out of the race, but is asking voters to rank Bush second behind himself in the upcoming ranked-choice primary election.

The arrangement is unusual for Republicans, who have largely been highly critical of the ranked-choice voting system.

Wessels has been lagging behind in polling and did not meet the five percent requirement to qualify for Thursday night’s Republican debate hosted by WGAN news partner CBS 13 and the Bangor Daily News.

Bush has also announced former candidate Jim Libby as his Congressional District 1 Grassroots Chair.

Seven candidates are still vying for the Republican nomination for the Maine governor’s race.

Bush has been consistently polling behind front runner Bobby Charles. Charles has opted not to attend two Republican debates this week.