Democratic Rep. Tom Allen on Monday postponed a campaign fundraiser with bestselling horror writer Stephen King, who was criticized for remarks he made about the U.S. Army.

Allen had scheduled a $25-a-person fundraiser on June 7 at the Bangor Auditorium with King and two other best-selling authors, John Grisham and Tess Gerritsen, who are known respectively for their legal and medical thrillers. Allen is running for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Susan Collins.

King told an audience at a writer’s symposium at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. on April 4 that it was important to read so that “you can walk into a job later on. If you don’t, then you’ve got the Army, Iraq,” according to The Associated Press.

The remark has drawn criticism from the Army and conservative bloggers. In a statement on his Web site last week, King said he supports the troops but believes the war in Iraq is a “waste of national resources.”

According to a statement from Allen’s campaign, King decided to postpone the Bangor event because “he feels that recent developments mean that what was meant to be an enjoyable literary event could have instead become all too political.”

“My goal was and is to aid the Allen campaign, not to be a distraction,” King is quoted as saying in the statement released by the Allen campaign. “Since that might be the case now, it’s best to do this event later, but it’s just too good not to do at all.”

Carol Andrews, a spokeswoman for Allen’s Senate campaign, said people who have purchased tickets to the Bangor fundraiser may contact the campaign at 774-9696 or info@tomallen.org for a full refund.