UNDATED (KELO-AM) The Democratic candidate for South Dakota's lone U.S. House seat has revealed that she was raped in college. Paula Hawks says she never expected to make public the sexual assault 20 years ago, but had to because of Donald Trump.
"When I listened to the audio from Trump bragging about what he could do to women because of wealth and fame, it hit me extremely hard," writes Hawks in an online op-ed posted Tuesday.
http://kelo.com/blogs/the-daily-dose/742/paula-hawks-shares-personal-story-of-rape/
Hawks tells KELO Radio News that she was sexually assaulted by a person in a position of authority over her and it caused her to self-doubt and self-blame. She says she didn't report the rape at the time, but that the man got into trouble mutliple times and so "justice has been served on that person."
Hawks says she was "outraged" by the Trump tape and just had to speak out.
Hawks is running a long shot campaign against Republican U.S. Representative Kristi Noem. Noem has criticized Trumps comments, but says she will still vote for him because she can't support Hillary Clinton. Hawks writes:
"There are some lines I just don’t believe we, as a society, should cross. Supporting a sexual predator just because he might sign your bill into law is one of them," Hawks wrote in her op-ed.
Noem released a statement in the wake of the rape revelation, saying she was heartbroken to hear that something so horrific happened to her opponent.
"I went home and hugged my kids a little tighter...." said Noem in the statement.