Murray’s decision comes a month after he was sued for alleged child sexual abuse dating to the 1980s and less than a week before the official candidate-filing period begins.
“It tears me to pieces to step away,” Murray said in an emotion-filled statement at the Alki Beach Bathhouse in the West Seattle neighborhood where he spent part of his youth.
With supporters standing behind him and frequently interrupted by their applause, Murray recalled his childhood, how he grew to love politics, and his role — as a gay man and politician — in the evolution of gay culture and civil rights.
