Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod says he isn't dropping out of the South Carolina gubernatorial race following the release of dashcam footage from his arrest for disorderly conduct in May.
"I share with the voters that no matter how much they try to silence me, no matter how much they tried to get me out of this race, that I would not stand down," McLeod, a Democrat, said in a video posted to his campaign's Facebook page.
"I made that commitment to you, and I told you in that letter that I prepared my entire adult life for what lies ahead. Well, this is the precise moment that I was talking about in that letter. This is the precise moment I prepared my entire adult life to handle."
"Now, I know the political storm is all around me, but my rhetoric is true. My rhetoric is true, folks," McLeod added. "My plan and my purpose has never been clearer. So, I'm going to keep my head down and I'm going to keep working, and I'm going to keep being the perfectly imperfect person that God made me to be."
The chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party has called for McLeod to step down after video showed him using a racial slur and profanity.
"After reviewing the transcript of the dash cam footage from his recent arrest, it is clear that Mr. McLeod is navigating profound challenges and should focus on his mental and emotional well-being instead of a campaign for governor," South Carolina Democratic Party chair Christale Spain said in a statement.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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