Gubernatorial candidate and Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford (R), who is under fire for sexual harassment allegations and of inappropriately rooming with his assistant, notified media outlets Tuesday that he had decided to pull his campaign ads statewide effectively immediately.
In an email to TPM, Rutherford spokesman Brian Sterling stressed that the candidate was not dropping out of the race:
In light of recent outside efforts, the campaign released reserves it had placed on some future TV time. Nothing was canceled.
His TV commercials are up this week in most of the state. The campaign will evaluate future markets going forward.
He is not dropping out of the race.
A week earlier Rutherford announced that he would not release the findings of a taxpayer-funded investigation which he had previously said would clear his name from the sexual harassment accusations. Rutherford strongly denies the accusations.
Separately, The Chicago Tribune reported that Rutherford regularly slept in hotel rooms with his executive assistant and stayed together in a studio apartment in Chicago. Rutherford said it was to save money.
