District judge candidate withdraws from race after text with racial slur surfaces

District judge candidate Kent Tester withdrew from the race Tuesday after a vulgar text with a misspelled racial slur surfaced online.
District judge candidate Kent Tester withdrew from the race Tuesday after a vulgar text with a misspelled racial slur surfaced online.

A district judge candidate said Tuesday that he is withdrawing from the race after a text he sent with a misspelled racial slur aimed at another public official surfaced online.

Kent Tester, an attorney who was running for district court judge in Division 2 — which serves Faulkner and Van Buren counties — sent a text with a misspelled racial slur referencing Van Buren County Clerk Pam Bradford, who is white, according to the liberal blog Blue Hog Report. Bradford defeated Angie Hutchins, who worked with Tester, for the seat in November 2014.

"There is no excuse or words to minimize how wrong the text was that was the subject of yesterday's BHR and how wrong I was for sending it, even if attempting to be sarcastic," Tester said in the Facebook post.

"I apologize to all that I have offended by this incident, especially our African American community and women. I can never sit in judgment of any case with this mark on my character and will wear it in [some way] for the rest of my days.

As is apparent in the text, I'm certain that I was drinking, which is no excuse and does not mitigate the responsibility for my actions," he said.

Click here to read the full story on Blue Hog Report and read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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