Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R-MA.) is expected to end his campaign Thursday for the Republican presidential nomination, opening up the field next Tuesday to other Republican challengers in the Virginia Republican primary, sources told the Times.

Romney’s campaign consultant, Alex Castellanos, was not immediately available for comment, but sources said that it was likely he would end it this afternoon in Washington, leaving the Virginia Primary open to John McCain and Mike Huckabee, the last remaining challengers for the GOP nomination.

The Alexandria Times on Thursday endorsed McCain, a 1954 graduate of Episcopal High School.