Joseph Trillo has quietly left the race for governor.

The highly charismatic and outspoken Warwick state Representative and Republican national committeeman said yesterday he never really gained any momentum in getting his campaign off the ground.

“I’m pretty much out of the race. It would take a miracle at this point for me to get back into it,” said Trillo.

“My campaign didn’t come together the way I would have liked it to.”

Trillo, who owns a fire alarm company on East Avenue, said he never really gained the outpouring of support he wanted to see. Trillo said he simply couldn’t put together the type of organization he would need to get through the uphill battle to become governor.

Trillo said he never really tried to raise money for the race. To do so, he said, would have been disingenuous if he wasn’t 100 percent sure he was running.

“I never really tried to raise money. I couldn’t ask people to give me $1,000 checks if I wasn’t sure I was going to be a candidate in the first place,” said Trillo.

Trillo criticized Providence Mayor David Cicilline and Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts, both of which he said raised money under the guise of running for governor only to pull out of the race.

“They should have to give back their donations,” said Trillo.

Trillo said he thinks he would make a good leader.

“It’s not that I don’t think I could do the job, because I think I could really clean this state up,” said Trillo.

Surprisingly, Trillo said he wasn’t prepared to make an endorsement in the race just yet, despite the fact that East Greenwich businessman Rory Smith has jumped head first into the race.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about Smith, but it’s still too early for me to make up my mind at this point,” said Trillo.

Smith, who didn’t return a phone call by press time yesterday, found time to issue a press release saying that he’s hired professional campaign consultants and a national polling firm. The Norway Hill Consulting Firm, a Massachusetts-based firm led by David Carney, the political director under George H. W. Bush. Smith also hired The Tarrance Group as his pollsters.

Dave Sackett, who will serve as Smith’s lead pollster, said in a press release, “people are looking for new ideas and new ways to approach the problems that we face. As someone who isn’t beholden to the special interests, Rory will bring a fresh perspective to state government.”

During a recent interview, State Republican Party Chairman Giovanni Cicione said that the Republican Party is fielding a strong candidate in Smith.

“Right now, the Republicans are the only party with a candidate in the race,” said Cicione.

“The Democrats haven’t officially had a candidate come forward and say they’re definitely running.”

Cicione said that at this point, it doesn’t look like there will be a Republican Primary. A primary, however, wouldn’t be the worst thing for Smith, he said.

“The name recognition that he would get from a primary would help him,” said Cicione.