Sean Parnell, a candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has suspended his campaign after a judge ruled Monday in favor of his estranged wife in a court fight over custody of their three children.
His estranged wife, Laurie Snell, had testified about abuse she says she and occasionally their children endured from him.
“I strongly disagree with the ruling today and I’m devastated by the decision,” Parnell said in a statement Monday, adding, “There is nothing more important to me than my children, and while I plan to ask the court to reconsider, I can’t continue with a Senate campaign.”
A Butler County, Pennsylvania, judge on Monday wrote in a docket entry that Snell would have sole legal custody of the couple’s three children and primary physical custody, while Parnell was granted physical custody three weekends a month, The Associated Press reported.
Parnell forcefully denied Snell’s allegations of abuse under oath, but the judge, James Arner, wrote Snell was “the more credible witness,” The Associated Press reported. She testified that Parnell once choked her to the point where she had to bite him to break free and had once slapped one of their three children hard enough on the back to leave marks.
Both were seeking primary custody of the children.
Parnell spoke with Trump to inform him of his decision to quit the GOP primary before making the announcement, Trump’s spokesman, Taylor Budowich, said in a tweet. Politico first reported news of that discussion.
“#PASen remains a top priority for Pres. Trump & the ‘22 MAGA Map — rallying our movement behind the best America 1st candidate remains critical,” Budowich said.
Parnell, a decorated former Army Ranger-turned-author and frequent Fox News guest who launched his Senate bid in May after narrowly losing a House race in 2020, won Trump’s endorsement in September, becoming the early front-runner in a critical race for GOP hopes of taking back the Senate.
But Snell’s testimony put Republicans on edge, NBC News previously reported. In an interview earlier this month, a Parnell ally made clear supporters were waiting on the custody ruling before determining whether to cut ties.
“This is very black and white to me,” this person said, speaking on condition of anonymity to candidly assess the situation. “If he loses custody of his kids, the campaign is over for him. But if he keeps custody, I truly believe he will survive, win the primary with ease and then defeat the Democrat in the general.”
Other Republicans running include Jeff Bartos, a former nominee for lieutenant governor, Carla Sands, Trump’s former ambassador to Denmark, and Kathy Barnette, who ran a failed congressional bid last fall.
Parnell’s departure could also bring other rumored candidates off the sidelines.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
