President Bush’s contentious nominee for the Federal Election Commission has yanked his name from consideration, potentially ending a broader confirmation deadlock in the Senate.

Hans von Spakovsky, a former Justice Department official who never had Democratic support to win confirmation, withdrew his nomination on Friday.

Bush “reluctantly accepted” von Spakovsky’s request, the White House said.

Democrats have objected to von Spakovsky’s tenure at Justice, where he oversaw voting rights matters. The standoff has held up other confirmations to the six-member FEC, which is without a quorum and has been unable to conduct business.

In a letter to Bush, von Spakovsky said the long-stalled process has been extremely hard on his family.