Rhode Island state Senate candidate Jeann C. Lugo has officially resigned from his campaign after a video emerged of him attacking his Democratic opponent Jennifer Rourke.
VIDEO: RHODE ISLAND SENATE CANDIDATE SAYS OPPONENT ASSAULTED HER AT ROE RALLY
Lugo, the sole Republican candidate, is a police officer for the Providence Police Department but has since been put on leave with pay as they investigate the situation. The department confirmed it was Lugo in the video Rourke posted of the attack.
The police officer is charged with assault and disorderly conduct. Rourke and Lugo were at a rally protesting the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization at the time.
“As an officer that swore to protect and serve our communities, I, unfortunately, saw myself in a situation that no individual should see themselves in,” Lugo said. “I stepped in to protect someone that a group of agitators was attacking.”
Lugo announced the end of his campaign Saturday on Twitter but has since deactivated his account.
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Neither Lugo nor Rourke responded to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
