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Several top agencies that had expressed early interest in the 2010 U.S. Census account are now bowing out of the running.

With the Feb 13 deadline looming for agencies to have teams in place for the pitch, candidates are dropping out of the running for the account, which is valued at up to $300 million, Ad Age reports. Interpublic Group's McCann Erickson, Martin Agency and Mullen; Omnicom Group's DDB Worldwide; Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett; and WPP Group's Ogilvy & Mather and Grey Worldwide have all ended their candidacies.

Still, several top agencies - WPP's Y&R, which won the account in 2000; JWT, and Interpublic's DraftFCB and Campbell-Ewald are - thought to still be chasing the account.

The account will receive heavy spending before the 2010 census, but the contract will end when the census begins. There won't be an extension, since the next census isn't until 2020.