The political pressure was too much for Fiona Greig.

Announcing Wednesday that she was pulling out of the race for the Ward 2 seat on the D.C. Council, she said that the “intimidation” from incumbent Jack Evans drove her to do so. Greig claims that Evans hired a private investigator to look through her private records, received threatening phone calls and spotted a man following her and tracking guests to her home.

As this board bemoaned in our most recent editorial, Evans’ failures on the D.C. Council, possible ethics violations and divisive role in community discourse during his tenure is creating a questionable legacy. But even Greig’s campaign manager admitted that accusing Evans of following her was a mistake. The early onset of political pressures overwhelmed Greig and her political base, resulting in her withdrawal just a week after her campaign launched.

Part of the appeal of Greig’s candidacy was that she seemed to be someone that could rise above the petty squabbling of career politicians. While it is understandable that she would not want to endure a possible smear campaign, Greig showed that she was not the type of fighting candidate we had been waiting for.

With the council primary election just six months away, inhabitants of Ward 2 must look elsewhere for an alternative to Jack Evans. Hopefully, a strong and thoughtful candidate will emerge, ready to end Evans’ decades-long hold on the Georgetown community.