An Oklahoma congressional candidate is dropping out of her race a month after being accused of getting drunk and berating tweens at a slumber party—saying she tried to kill herself after the scandal broke.
“Thankfully, God had greater plans for me. I am currently undergoing mental health treatment for severe anxiety and dependency on alcohol to cope,” Abby Broyles said in a statement on Thursday.
The former newswoman, a Democrat, made headlines for all the wrong reasons in February when the mother of a girl who attended the Valentine’s get-together took to social media to blast her.
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Broyles was accused of guzzling wine until she was a drunken mess, verbally attacking the 12- and 13-year-old girls, and then vomiting in a hamper.
“[My daughter] proceeded to tell me that Abby Broyles had been at the house and was very drunk and calling them all mfer’s, f’er this f’er that,” the mom, Sarah Matthews, told KFOR after the incident.
“[Broyles] called somebody acne f’er, somebody Hispanic f’er, called my daughter judgey f’er for not wanting to sleep with a blanket that she cleaned up wine with.”
Broyles initially denied to one news outlet that she was even at the party, then denied to another outlet that she had ever said that—even though it was on tape.
She blamed her behavior on a medication given to her by the party host and said she was staying in the race.
In her Thursday statement, Broyles slammed Matthews and said her account was “falsely accusatory,” but admitted she had “made a mistake” by mixing booze and a medication.
She went on to say that soon after the incident became public she “received countless repulsive messages, right-wing social media attacks, and death threats that have led to me feeling unsafe in my own home.”
On March 2, she said, she “made the attempt to take my life,” though she provided no other details.
“For too long, I was committed to being a great political figure and representative for the people of Oklahoma rather than taking the time to work on the most important part – myself,” she said.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741
