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Seattle Mayor Drops Re-Election Bid After Sex Abuse Claims

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says he is dropping his re-election bid following allegations by four men that he sexually abused them when they were teenagers decades ago.

Murray vehemently denied the claims and has said they are politically motivated by an anti-gay conspiracy.

He made his announcement Tuesday after insisting for weeks he would not drop out.

The 62-year-old Murray is a Democrat and was elected in 2013. He pushed to raise Seattle's hourly minimum wage to $15.

Before becoming mayor, Murray was a state lawmaker for 18 years and led the effort to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington state.

Murray was sued last month by a man claiming he was sexually abused as a teenager by Murray in the 1980s. Three other men came forward and made similar allegations.

Paula is a former host, reporter and producer who retired from KNKX in 2021. She joined the station in 1989 as All Things Considered host and covered the Law and Justice beat for 15 years. Paula grew up in Idaho and, prior to KNKX, worked in public radio and television in Boise, San Francisco and upstate New York.