Minn. Politician Who Hooked Up With Teen Drops Out of Race

Kerry Gauthier is not seeking reelection to the Minnesota legislature after news broke that he hooked up with a 17-year-old boy at a rest stop, leading the politician to attempt suicide, and later come out.

Prominent Democrats pressured Gauthier, representing the Duluth area in the state house since 2011, to not seek reelection in January. The media recently caught wind that the 56-year-old solicited "no strings attached" sex on Craig's List with a 17-year-old, who he had oral sex with at a rest stop. Initially, Gauthier refused to drop out of the race, but finally succumbed to the pressure.

According to the Huffington Post, Gauthier was hospitalized last week after a suicide attempt involving an overdose of muscle relaxants. He said his refusal to accept his sexual orientation led to his rest stop hook-up.

"I can change my behavior, but I cannot change the fact that I am a gay man, and have known this since my college days," Gauthier was quoted as saying. "I simply must act like a mature gay man would act, and not as the incident portrays me."

It doesn't appear the politician will resign. Read more here.