Update: Aden Drops out of AR Third District Congressional Race
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: July 9, 2012
Ken Aden, Democratic Candidate for U.S. Congress from Arkansas' Third Congressional District is dropping out of the race two weeks after allegations were made about a padded resume.
Aden's campaign posted the following on his website today:
Ken Aden, Democratic Candidate for U.S. Congress from Arkansas' Third Congressional District, on Monday morning announced his intent to withdraw from the race for United States Congress effective at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 9, 2012.
"Mr. Aden's campaign has, via overnight mail, submitted the necessary notification prescribed by the Arkansas Code to withdraw from the race for U.S. Congress. A copy of this notification has been provided to the Democratic Party of Arkansas as well," said Vince Leibowitz, spokesperson for the campaign.
Aden said he was exiting the race in order to spend more time with his family and to help ensure victory for Democrats across the state in November.
"Unfortunately, the ongoing saga related to my military records has created a tremendous distraction for our campaign, and I did not want this to have adverse consequences for Democrats across the district or anywhere else in the state," Aden said.
"Additionally, as most of you know, I recently became a father for the first time, and I will be exiting this race in order to spend more time with my family," he continued.
"I sincerely regret any difficulty that this situation has caused my fellow Democrats, my supporters, and staff. I will continue to remain a loyal Democrat and to my best to help Democrats in win in November," he concluded.
Ken wishes to thank all of his supporters and contributors for their support during this race.
The Democratic Party of Arkansas says Aden's departure from the race means there will be no Democrat to challenge incumbent Rep. Steve Womack.
The party's Candace Martin says according to Arkansas law the only way a replacement candidate could be named so late in the campaign is if a vacancy is left because a candidate is moving out of the district or due to the death of a candidate.
"The Democratic Party of Arkansas respects Mr. Aden's decision to withdraw from the race. He has a young family to attend to and we respect his decision," Martin said.
Original story (June 28):
Democratic congressional candidate Ken Aden may have padded his resume regarding military service, according to a report in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Aden, who is going up against Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Womack in the Third Congressional District, had claimed to be Special Forces as well as a Green Beret. According to the Democrat-Gazette, Aden didn't meet all the qualifying tests for either group.
The paper also wasn't able to confirm he had an associate degree he claimed from Arkansas State University.
Aden's opponent told the ADG it's unfortunate Aden had to pad his resume because it was already respectable.
"He served his country in a combat theater," said Womack. "That's something I haven't done, and it's an honorable accomplishment. But to go beyond that accomplishment and suggest that you are a member of the Special Forces community, if not true, that's a pretty serious breach of trust.
