March 17 (UPI) -- Leslie Gibson left the Maine House race as competition heated up for the once unopposed candidate after his controversial remarks about two Parkland students.
Gibson, a U.S. Navy retiree, criticized two teen survivors of the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine's Day claimed the lives of 17 people. Gibson bashed two of the young survivors who have spoken out publicly about gun control since the shooting. Florida prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the accused shooter, Nikolas Cruz.