Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he’s running for re-election despite crack allegations (VIDEO)
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford waves the Pan American Games flag during the closing ceremony of the games at the Omnilife Stadium on October 30, 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Toronto will host the XVII Pan American Games in 2015.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford on Friday broke his week-long silence over allegations that he smoked crack cocaine and now is taking one step further by saying he will seek re-election.
On his weekly radio show, Rob Ford said that he will be jumping into next year's municipal race and plans to start campaigning as soon as legally possible, reports The Canadian Press.
"I'll be the first putting my name on that ballot," he said Sunday afternoon.
Ford also lashed out at the media for repeating allegations that he smoked crack, calling them "a bunch of maggots."
"It's unfortunate that you get put in this situation, but we're moving forward," he said.
Ford has been faced with calls to step down since several reports surfaced of a video that claims to show the mayor smoking what appears to be crack cocaine.
The mayor gave a long-awaited statement to reporters on Friday addressing the rumors.
"I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine," said the mayor, with his brother, Councilor Doug Ford, on one side and Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday on the other.
"I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist," he said.
Gossip website Gawker claims to have seen the video and launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $200,000 to buy it.
As of Sunday afternoon, the site has raised more than $177,000.
Gawker's John Cook called the video, if it does exist, a "crystal clear, well-lit video of the mayor of Toronto smoking crack cocaine, published on Gawker for the world to see."
But Gawker may be having second thoughts about their ability to score the video even if they raise the money.
An "update" posted to the site on Thursday says they haven't had contact with the video's owners since last Sunday, adding a disclaimer that "folks who are involved in the crack trade tend not to be the most reliable people in the world."
More from GlobalPost: Gawker crowdsourcing to buy Rob Ford crack video
"I did not use crack cocaine": Rob Ford speaks to media
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