Candidate Challenging Sen. Warren's Re-Election Is Switching Party Affiliation

Shiva Ayyadurai, a candidate challenging U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in her bid for re-election next year, says he is switching his party affiliation.

Ayyadurai, a Cambridge-based entrepreneur, announced on Saturday that he will run as an independent, rather than as a Republican.

In a statement, Ayyadurai said the state Republican party was "irrelevant" and "prepared itself for defeat."

"Declare your independence. The establishment is one. The Republicans and Democrats profit from war and sickness," he said.

The switch leaves four Republican contenders in the campaign to unseat the Massachusetts Democrat. They are Geoff Diehl, Beth Lindstrom, Allen Rodney Waters and John Kingston.