Recently appointed Democratic Representative Jevin Hodge stepped down from his position in the Arizona House on Tuesday. This decision came after a media report surfaced, stating that he had been accused of sexual misconduct during his time in college nine years ago.

Following a media report that surfaced accusing him of sexual misconduct during his time in college in 2015, House Democratic Leader Lupe Contreras announced in a statement that they have accepted Representative Hodge’s resignation.

According to the Arizona Republic’s report on Monday, Jevin Hodge was found to have received a disciplinary suspension from George Washington University for allegations of sexual misconduct when he was 21 years old. The investigation was initiated after a woman accused him of engaging in unwanted sexual contact.

In response to the release of the report, Hodge released a statement on his Twitter account where he acknowledged engaging in a romantic encounter with the accuser, but refuted any claims of inappropriate behavior.

In a statement, he asserted that he takes full accountability for his actions and has utilized this encounter to mature as a responsible individual. However, he firmly denies the accusations made against him. Although he initially expressed his intention to remain in his position in the House, he ultimately resigned the following day.

Hodge, who is originally from Tempe, was only in the Arizona Legislature for two months. On January 31, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors chose him to take over the position in District 8 after Athena Salman resigned to join an organization advocating for abortion rights.

District 8 comprises of sections in Tempe, Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Prior to being selected for the Legislature, Hodge came close to defeating Republican U.S. Representative David Schweikert in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, ultimately losing by a margin of less than 1% in the year 2022.