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In a news
conference at a waterfront park near his childhood home, an
emotional Murray denied the claims against him, which he has
called politically motivated, according to a video posted on the
mayor's Facebook page.
Murray, a Democrat and the city's first openly gay mayor, also
suggested that the accusations were rooted in stereotypes of gay
men.
"The mayor's race must be focused on... issues, not on a
scandal, which it would be focused on if I were to remain in
this race," Murray, who became mayor in 2014, said in announcing
his withdrawal from the race.
As a senator in the Washington state legislature, Murray
championed gay rights and legalizing same-sex marriage. During
his term as mayor, Seattle sued President Donald Trump over his
executive order cracking down on sanctuary cities that limit
their cooperation with federal immigration agents.
A primary election for mayor will take place Aug. 1 and the two
candidates with the most votes will face off in the Nov. 7
general election.
In April, a 46-year-old man sued Murray, claiming that the mayor
paid him for sex when he was a homeless, drug-addicted teenager
in the 1980s, according to the lawsuit.
The Seattle Times newspaper said that in 2008 two other men had
accused Murray of abusing them when they were teenagers in the
1980s. Murray has denied those claims, which did not become
public until last month.
A fourth accuser in a sworn court declaration made similar
allegations against Murray, according to the Seattle Times.
Murray consistently denied the claims, calling the accusations
politically motivated, but also garnered criticism for
questioning the trustworthiness of the accusers, which the
Seattle Times said had criminal records.
An attorney for the first accuser, Lincoln Beauregard, said on
Twitter that his client saw the mayor's withdrawal from the race
as "one step towards justice."
(Reporting by Tom James; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Lisa
Shumaker)
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