Arizona Rep. Jevin Hodge resigns after sexual violence findings from college days uncovered
State Rep. Jevin Hodge has resigned from the Arizona Legislature in the wake of a report by The Arizona Republic revealing he was sanctioned for violating sexual violence and sexual abuse standards while a student at George Washington University nine years ago.
The Tempe Democrat's decision was announced by Democratic leaders in the House on Tuesday morning.
"We have accepted Representative Hodge's resignation, which he offered in good faith and out of respect for our caucus, and we are prepared to move forward with the important business of the state," minority leader Rep. Lupe Contreras said in a statement.
Hodge, 30, was appointed to fill a vacancy in Legislative District 8 and joined the Legislature in late January. He tendered his resignation in a short statement to House Speaker Ben Toma.
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"It has been a privilege to serve with you and the other Members of the House," he wrote.
He later posted a statement on X explaining his decision.
"Public service means knowing when to lead — and it also means knowing when to step aside," he wrote. "As I said yesterday, I unequivocally deny the allegations made against me. However, now its not the time to lead."
He added his work "on behalf of Arizona's families to move Arizona forward has not changed. The work will not change — it will only have a different home."
Hodge's GWU sanction came to light when the woman who made the allegations against him contacted The Arizona Republic earlier this year. She had seen news accounts of Hodge being a nominees to fill a vacancy in Legislative District 8.
She described the events of an encounter in October 2015, when a night on the town in Washington D.C. turned into sexual advances that she said she repeatedly rejected. She filed a complaint with the university's Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities several months later. The extended process, which included a threat of a defamation lawsuit from Hodge's attorney, resulted in a university board's conclusion that Hodge had violated the university's standards and committed sexual violence and sexual misconduct.
Hodge rejected the finding. While he acknowledged they had been intimate, he said when she told him to stop, he did.
His penalty was a one-month suspension from the university grounds, which had little impact because by that point Hodge had completed his undergraduate degree and was working on a master's degree via an online course from his home in Arizona.
Hodge's resignation will trigger yet another replacement process by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The board is required by law to nominate three Democrats from the Tempe-centric district to fill the vacancy Hodge's resignation caused.
It will be the seventh time in this two-year legislative session that the board has had to replace lawmakers, who have resigned for reasons ranging from bad behavior to new job opportunities.
Reach the reporter at [email protected] or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @maryjpitzl.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Rep. Jevin Hodge resigns after sexual violence findings revealed