Daniel Padernacht, the Kingsbridge Heights lawyer who was one of two candidates challenging incumbent State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. in next week’s election, abruptly dropped his bid on Sunday, announcing in a statement that he would instead get behind former opponent Gustavo Rivera.

His decision stemmed from the reality that he might lose, Padernacht said in a phone interview.

“I sat down with my family to talk it over, and we thought we had a good shot, but we didn’t think that it was an iron-clad win,” he said. “We talked about the cons — that if we didn’t win, and if Gustavo didn’t win, and that was basically Pedro getting back in office. None of us wanted to drop out. In our hearts we wanted to keep going, but we thought the best thing to do is to join forces with Gustavo. We know how powerful Espada is, and we figured just a unified Democratic force was a much better way to go about it.”

His announcement came as a shock to many, with Padernacht—as recently as last week—previously blasting Rivera for having done little in the community. But he said a long phone conversation he had with Rivera this weekend changed his mind and relieved him of some of his concerns.

“I think he’ll be open to listening to residents, and he has promise for learning the community,” Padernacht said, adding that he’ll be willing to work with Rivera and frequently voice his concerns to him should he get elected.

Padernacht also reached out to state Democratic Party Executive Director Charlie King, who himself had dropped out of a bid for lieutenant governor just before the primary in 2002. King reassured him that he was making the right decision, Padernacht said.

Padernacht had been getting pressure to drop his bid for months, as Rivera’s campaign picked up political steam and a long list of major endorsements, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., the city’s public advocate and comptroller and former mayor Ed Koch.

The anti-Espada camp has rallied hard for the Senate majority leader’s defeat, based on a number of issues. Espada played a crucial role in the Senate coup last summer that froze the state legislature for nearly a month; he has been accused by the state attorney general of siphoning more than $14 million from his network of nonprofit health clinics; he is widely believed to live in Westchester, and not the Bronx district that he represents; and he’s incurred the wrath of many tenant advocates for accepting campaign money from landlords and for dragging his feet on important housing legislation (Espada heads the Senate Housing Committee).

Those who want Espada out argued that Padernacht would have taken precious votes away from Rivera, making the primary race—where voter turnout is historically low—Espada’s to lose. 

Meanwhile, Espada has been upping his political game in the last few weeks before the election. He’s hosted a number of “giveaways” in his district, handing out free bags of groceries and school supplies. He has organized a forum to discuss immigration issues with Majority Conference Leader John Sampson, and led a “march for peace and unity” to commemorate the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic march on Washington.

“Espada has got lots of supporters and lots of detractors,” said Christina Greer, an assistant professor of political science at Fordham University. “It means whether or not he can mobilize his base to really vote for him the way they have in the past, and even more so.”

Padernacht’s withdrawal, however, could be a clear boost for the Rivera camp, said Hank Sheinkopf, a political consultant who has also contributed money to Espada’s campaign.

“It should certainly assist Rivera,” he said. “It will all get down to who turns out to vote.”

Padernacht’s name will still appear on the ballot, which could result in some voter confusion. Haile Rivera, who works for Espada’s campaign, said they aren’t worried.

“I think the Padernacht voters will not vote, because their leader was Padernacht,” he said. “I don’t see them going to Gustavo at all.”

Padernacht says he’ll spend the next week spreading word to his supporters. He held a press conference Tuesday to formally back Rivera and he has spent the last few days making phone calls.

“The most difficult part is hearing the disappointment on the other end of the telephone,” he said. But he says he also knows he made the right choice.

“This was purely sacrificing my candidacy for something bigger,” he said. “I think this race is bigger than me.”