Seattle mayor quits race after abuse claims
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray dropped his re-election bid on Tuesday after four men claimed he sexually abused them when they were teenagers.
Murray has vehemently denied the claims as an anti-gay political conspiracy aimed at derailing his campaign.
For weeks, he pushed ahead for a second term despite the allegations, but told reporters he decided it would be best for the city for him to abandon his campaign. He said he would serve out his term through the end of the year.
“It tears me to pieces to step away, but I believe it’s in the best interest of this city that I love,” said Murray, 62, flanked by his husband and tearful supporters.
Murray reiterated his denial of the allegations that first emerged last month when a man filed a lawsuit claiming Murray paid him for sex in the 1980s. Three other men also came forward with similar allegations, including one who is in jail on drug charges.
“The allegations against me are not true,” Murray said. “And I say this with all honesty and with the deepest sincerity. But the scandal surrounding them and me is hurting this city.”
Murray has claimed the allegations were part of an anti-gay conservative campaign to oust him, but he did not repeat those accusations during his speech. Several of the accusers have said they are gay, but were not involved in politics.
Murray, a Democrat, said he was proud of accomplishments, including raising Seattle’s minimum wage to $15 US and called his term “the absolute opportunity of a lifetime.”
But the mayor, a former longtime state lawmaker, said the mayoral race should be dominated by issues important for Seattle, rather than a scandal.
Murray had been the favourite to win before the lawsuit emerged in April, with community activist and lawyer Nikkita Oliver his highest-profile challenger. But others have since jumped into the race, including former Seattle mayor Mike McGinn, whom Murray beat in 2013.
State Sen. Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat, said after Murray’s announcement: “We’ve lost somebody as a leader in the community who has accomplished an amazing amount of good.”
Asked about the sex abuse allegations against Murray, Pedersen said: “If they’re true, it’s tragic.”
Before winning the city’s top job, Murray served for 18 years as a state lawmaker.
He was the prime sponsor of Washington’s gay marriage law, spearheaded an effort to protect LGBTQ youth in public schools and led the state’s push to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.