Ned Vaughn - P 2013
Getty ImagesNed Vaughn, who quit as the No. 2-ranking national officer at SAG-AFTRA in order to run for the California State Assembly as a Republican, has withdrawn from the race.
In an e-mail to supporters on Friday, Vaughn said that his roles as husband and as father to his five children are a priority and that campaigning for office, in addition to his professional life as an actor, would demand too much of his time.
Vaughn, whose credits include Apollo 13, The Hunt for Red October and dozens of TV shows, said he intends to remain politically active, though not as a candidate in 2014.
EARLIER: No. 2 Officer of SAG-AFTRA Resigns to Run for State Assembly as a Republican
In his e-mail, Vaughn said he “will continue to promote the conservative principles that will lead us to a stronger future … I will continue working toward a dynamic and diverse Republican Party and solutions that lift us all.”
Of his decision to abandon his campaign for assemblyman, Vaughn wrote: “I’ve determined the timing of this pursuit is just too soon for my still-young family. My roles as husband and father are the ones I prize most, and it has become clear to me that conducting a successful Assembly campaign will require me to spend too much time away from my children at a time when they still need me. They will only be young once, and I don’t want to largely miss an important time that they and I will never get back.”
Vaughn acknowledged in August that, politically, he was somewhat of a fish out of water in Hollywood, where Democrats rule the day. Nevertheless, he was highly regarded at SAG-AFTRA and even earned the endorsement of president Ken Howard, a liberal.
“We may not have the same views on politics, but Ned is one of the finest leaders I’ve ever known,” Howard said in August when he endorsed Vaughn for assemblyman.
E-mail: Paul.Bond@THR.com
