Michael Treiman, a former Democratic candidate for Binghamton mayor, is packing up and moving from his hometown of 32 years with his wife and three children.

This wasn't what Treiman expected would come of his mayoral campaign, which came to a halt in April after he was threatened online and on his property.

Treiman said he was warned by politicians to be prepared that "some people are going to say some absolute ludicrous things." But the extent that people would go to discourage him from running -- he wasn't ready for that.

The threats began after Treiman discussed his bid to challenge Republican incumbent Richard David during an appearance on WNBF's "Binghamton Now" radio program, he said. Four hours after the show, Treiman received messages addressing his wife and children. He said the emails were "heinous attempts to scare me off," but he didn't consider leaving the race.

Later that day, Treiman returned home after picking up his two-year-old and eleven-month-old children from a sitter. That's when an unidentified person in a truck threw a full soda container at him. Treiman said he was hit in the back as he turned to shield the child he was holding.

Treiman said the man who threw the soda yelled "liberal scumbag" before driving off.

Like Treiman, a candidate in Iowa dropped out of a congressional race on Saturday and cited death threats. Kim Weaver announced her decision on Facebook, KVTB reports.

"While some may say enduring threats are just a part of running for office, my personal safety has increasingly become a concern," Weaver said in the announcement.

If Treiman didn't have a wife and kids, he said he would have chased the truck down. But, he has a lot to lose, he said, and chose not to indulge his impulse.

"There was too much fear," he said. "The only reasonable thing to do was to withdraw."

After the withdrawal, Treiman and his wife bought a house in a different county. He has since broken from the Democratic party. What was once a "bucket list item" for Treiman turned into a life-changing event. Bottom line: Treiman is disappointed.

"There was something more visceral about this incident," he said. "It had nothing to do with anything substantive. It had to do with my existence with a political party."

But, after it's all said and done, Treiman isn't giving up. Next time, he'll rent an apartment for his headquarters. He'll hire a private security team. For now, he's "simply not in a position to make good on any of these things."

"I will run for office again," he said. "I will come back when I have the means to do so."