Nebraska GOP gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster, who has been accused by a state senator and seven other women of groping them, demanded that sex education be removed from schools on Sunday.
Several observers found the focus disturbing, particularly in light of the recent allegations against Herbster, a corporate CEO and Republican megadonor with no political experience.
The alleged groping occurred between 2017 and 2022. All of the women were teenagers or in their early 20s at the time, according to the Nebraska Examiner, which was the first media outlet to report the allegations.
Two of the women, including Republican state Sen. Julie Slama, said they were assaulted by Herbster at the same Republican dinner in 2019. In a radio interview, Slama said she was in shock when she felt Herbster’s hand reach up her dress.
“It’s one of the most traumatizing things I’ve ever been through,” she said.
Former legislative assistant Elizabeth Todsen said when Herbster came around to greet people at her table that night, his “hand went to my butt.”
“I tried to push away, but I couldn’t,” Todsen stated. “It was like he knew that I couldn’t say anything.”
Herbster has filed suit against Slama for defamation. She has sued him for sexual battery.
At a political rally in Greenwood on Sunday, former President Donald Trump described Herbster as a “good man, a very good man.” Trump also slammed the sexual assault accusations as “despicable charges.”
Herbster has denied the accusations.
Critics on Twitter complained that accurate, helpful sex ed was often not provided in homes. Providing sex education in schools has also been linked to fewer unwanted pregnancies:
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
