Christine Kurth, the favored candidate of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, for a Republican vacancy at the Federal Communications Commission, has dropped out of the running for the post.

In a statement, Ms. Kurth, who is currently deputy staff director for the Senate Commerce Committee, said her nomination would have created a conflict because her husband consults for telecommunications companies.

The statement said that the conflict would have either required her husband to stop representing telecom clients, or she would have had to recuse herself from a variety of FCC actions. Earl Comstock, another candidate of Sen. Stevens for an FCC post, dropped out of the running previously.