Jillian Rayfield November 4, 2011, 5:46 PM

Drew Pritt has dropped out of the campaign for House in Arkansas after what he calls “malicious gossip” on the internet regarding an investigation into whether he stole money from a fundraiser for a wounded veterans.

Pritt, a Dem and a serial campaigner, said that he dropped out of the race because he did not have the money, and “I have withdrawn from races before, and it simply is a question of too many hurdles to overcome.” He also added “[that] a few people use the Internet to spread malicious gossip and slander my name just is an added obstacle,” the Arkansas News Bureau reports.

Pritt announced last week that he was running for Congress in Arkansas’ 2nd District, the seat currently held by Republican Tim Griffin.

But Pritt’s got other problems. The financial crimes division of the Anchorage PD is investigating Pritt in connection with missing $3000-plus from a drag show and auction fundraiser he set up. The fundraiser purported to be for a group that would build a home for the son former lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Diane Benson, who lost his legs in Iraq in 2005. Pritt had previously worked for Benson as a campaign manager.

In 1999 Pritt was slapped with a Class C felony for writing unauthorized checks while working for Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R). He paid $1,617 in restitution and the charges were dropped in 2003.

Alaska, Arkansas, Drew Pritt