Failed Republican candidate accused of raping woman in a bar bathroom after losing race to his own mother

A failed Republican candidate for a state House seat in South Dakota has had a tumultuous time the last few weeks. First, he lost the midterm election race to his own mother, and now he has been accused of viciously raping a woman multiple times in a bar bathroom.

Around 4 a.m. on the morning of November 13, Bud Marty May, 37, was arrested at an unidentified bar in Box Elder, South Dakota, and charged with second-degree rape. According to court documents, May used "force, coercion, or threats of immediate and great bodily injury" to rape a woman in a bathroom stall. The report also stated that he raped her in "multiple ways."

Police said that when they arrived on the scene, they found the victim huddled behind the bar with blood, dirt, and an abrasion on her face. She was also covered in blood, which she later told them was May's. She stated that May had been in an altercation earlier that evening. She also claimed that at some point during the sexual assault, May told her, "I am 6'8", white, it is all consensual."

Police alleged that May initially fled the scene. However, when they finally caught up with him, he had a bloody face and other signs of a physical struggle, which seem to corroborate some of the woman's story. When police confronted him about the allegations of rape, he replied, "It was simply a hug."

In a hearing held on November 15, a judge set May's bond at $7,500 and ordered him to have no contact with the victim. He is scheduled to appear in court again on November 30. May faces up to 50 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, if convicted.

May had also appeared in court on November 14 regarding a separate charge related to driving without insurance and on an expired license. He also has three outstanding warrants with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. The nature of those warrants is unclear, but officials said they were issued before the election on November 8.

This election cycle, May, from Kyle, South Dakota, ran for one of two state House of Representatives seats from District 27, which covers Bennett, Jackson, Oglala Lakota, and Pennington Counties. Three others — including his own mother, incumbent Republican Elizabeth May — competed against May for the two seats. In the four-way race, Bud May finished dead last. His mother retained her seat, as did Democrat Peri Pourier. May finished two votes behind the third-place finisher, Norma Rendon.