Toronto's scandal-prone Mayor Rob Ford has withdrawn his re-election bid, saying he is seeking treatment for a tumor in his abdomen. The man who will run in his place: his brother.
"My heart is heavy when I tell you that I'm unable to continue my campaign for re-election as your mayor," Ford said in a statement. "I have asked Doug to run to become the next Mayor of Toronto, because we need him. We cannot go backwards."
Rob Ford will instead seek a seat on the Toronto City Council.
His brother is a city councilor who had served as Ford's campaign manager. Doug Ford will face two other major candidates in the Oct. 27 election, The Associated Press reports.
The AP adds: "Ford's decision came two days after he was hospitalized and the tumor was discovered. Biopsy results won't be back for a week and a definitive diagnosis is pending."
NPR's Eyder Peralta reported in April that Ford took time off that month to seek help for substance abuse. That came after he admitted to smoking crack. As we have previously reported:
— It was on November 5 that Ford admitted that he smoked crack during a "drunken stupor." — Two days later, a video showed him "extremely inebriated" and threatening to kill someone. — On Nov. 14, a day after he was asked to step aside by his council, Ford made comments that were too blue for most news organizations to repeat. — On Nov. 18, the Toronto City Council stripped Ford of most of his power. Ford vowed to fight on. — In January, he filed for re-election. — And the last time we checked in back in March, he was at the center of another chaotic scene at City Hall.
The AP adds that Ford is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, but hasn't been charged.
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