California Sen. Leland Yee announced on Thursday that he is withdrawing from the secretary of state race, a day after being arrested on charges of arms trafficking and public corruption.
He turned in a letter to current Secretary of State Debra Bowen saying, "I hereby withdraw my candidacy for election of Secretary of State, effective immediately."
Unfortunately, his name will still appear on the upcoming state ballot due to election code that states candidates cannot drop out of the race once they have filed a declaration of candidacy, reports the Los Angeles Times.
A political consultant who was working with Yee, Richie Ross added, "I am sure Sen. Yee came to the same conclusion as everyone else has regarding his political viability."
On Wednesday, the senator was arrested on several charges, including wire fraud and arms trafficking. A total of 25 people were arrested for being involved in a crime ring headed by Raymond Chow, who is the leader of Chinatown's Chee Kung Tong.
Chow too was arrested, on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes. Others arrested were hit with a plethora of charges that also included drug distribution, murder-for-hire and more.