Andrea Ramsey is the first congressional candidate to resign amid a wave of other resignations in Washington revolving around sexual harassment. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Female House candidate withdraws over sexual harassment claim Top EMILY's List recruit for Kansas seat had faced a lawsuit over alleged workplace misconduct.

Democrat Andrea Ramsey has dropped out of the race to take on GOP Rep. Kevin Yoder in Kansas after The Kansas City Star began questioning Ramsey about accusations made against her in a 2005 sexual harassment lawsuit.

Ramsey was accused of making sexual advances towards a former employee of LabOne, a company where she worked in human resources. The complaint filed against LabOne claimed that Ramsey made “unwelcome sexual advances as well as unwelcome, unwanted and offensive sexual comments and innuendos during his employment” and that Ramsey moved the employee’s desk, criticized him and eventually fired him after he declined the advances.


The lawsuit was dismissed in 2006. Multiple sources told the Kansas City Star that the employee received a settlement. Ramsey denied the allegations in a lengthy statement published Friday that explained her decision to drop out of the race, saying that the allegation is "a lie" and she didn't "have any opportunity to participate in its resolution" because she was not named in the lawsuit. LabOne, Ramsey’s employer, was named as the defendant in the lawsuit.

Ramsey is the first congressional candidate to resign amid a wave of other resignations in Washington revolving around sexual harassment. Ramsey was a top recruit for the women-in-politics group EMILY's List this year and Yoder’s district, which includes parts of Kansas City, is considered a promising potential pickup seat for Democrats.

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"We support her decision and we wish her well," an EMILY's List spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Ramsey, who announced she was withdrawing in the Kansas City Star’s report on the lawsuit, declined a request for an interview from POLITICO on Friday.

Ramsey was also running for office with support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, but she lashed out at the committee in her statement, saying that it is in a “rush to claim the high ground in our roiling national conversation about harassment.”

“The Democratic Party has implemented a zero tolerance standard," Ramsey said in the statement. "For me, that means a vindictive, terminated employee's false allegations are enough for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) to decide not to support our promising campaign. We are in a national moment where rough justice stands in place of careful analysis, nuance and due process."

DCCC Communications Director Meredith Kelly responded via in a statement, saying that “members and candidates must all be held to the highest standard.”

“If anyone is guilty of sexual harassment or sexual assault, that person should not hold public office,” Kelly said.