Rob Ford is out of the Toronto election race

Rob Ford won't be mayor come November. Just days after entering hospital for treatment on a tumour in his abdomen, Doug Ford has decided to step up and replace his brother's name on the ballot.

A short time ago, members of Rob Ford's campaign team filed papers at city hall removing the mayor from the race, but with an hour left until the nomination deadline, it appears Doug hasn't been able to make his candidacy official.

Michael Ford, Doug Ford's 20-year-old nephew who had been on the ballot in Ward 2, is also out of the race.

Earlier today, Doug told the Toronto Sun's Joe Warmington there would only be one member of the family on the mayoral ballot, nixing the possibility that Doug would add his name beside his brother's as a contingency plan. "It would be too confusing," he said.

Polls have shown that Doug presents a less attractive option for voters. The latest Forum Research poll placed Rob at 21 percent, 19 percentage points behind John Tory.

Doug has until 2 p.m. today to file his nomination papers.

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Chris Bateman/blogTO.

by Chris Bateman via blogTO