Bill Berrien, a Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor, announced on Sept. 26 that he is ending his campaign, according to Fox 6.
The development happened days after it was reported that Berrien, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, followed numerous sexually explicit accounts online—including one of a non-binary porn performer, the AP noted.
In a statement, Berrien said, in part, “”After hunting down war criminals in Bosnia as a Navy SEAL Platoon Leader, I had no idea that running for political office could be almost as dangerous. … As my campaign was gaining traction and emboldened by that optimistic vision, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published this week two articles clearly targeted to force me out of the race. I consider myself very intellectually curious and, as a leader in business and hoped-for leader in politics, I thought it was a strength to read very widely and show a broad intellectual interest.”
The governor’s race in battleground Wisconsin is open for the first time since 2010, as Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will not run for a third term. Among the Democrats vying for the office are Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys and state Rep. Francesca Hong. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and Washington County executive Josh Schoemann are currently the only Republican candidates.