CANDIDATE EXITS AFTER LOSING CUSTODY CASE
Trump-endorsed Republican ran for Senate seat in Pa.
Republican Sean Parnell, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in a closely watched Pennsylvania Senate race, said Monday he will not continue with his campaign, hours after it was made public that a judge had granted his estranged wife primary custody of the couple’s three children.
The judge’s order last week, made public in court documents Monday, outlined in detail the allegations of domestic and other abuse Laurie Snell had made against her estranged husband, and concluded that “Parnell did commit some acts of abuse in the past.” Parnell has denied the allegations.
In his decision to award primary physical and sole legal custody of the children to Snell, Senior Judge James Arner deemed Snell “the more credible witness” who “can truthfully give regular status reports to Sean Parnell and, as may be needed, to the court.”
Snell will have the sole right to make major decisions on behalf of the children, Arner said. Parnell will have partial physical custody of the children on three
weekends each month. Parnell and Snell separated in 2018, according to court documents.
In the order, the judge said he had also factored in Parnell’s Senate run — which would have required frequent travel as he campaigned — and wrote that Parnell “expects to win the election and to reside parts of the year in Washington, D.C.” Snell, meanwhile, has maintained her residence in the area where the children are already attending school.
Parnell said in a statement that he was “devastated by the decision” and that he intends to appeal the judge’s ruling.
“I strongly disagree with the ruling today,” Parnell said in a statement. “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. My focus right now is 100% on my children, and I want them to know I do not have any other priorities and will never stop fighting for them.”
Snell has accused Parnell of multiple forms of abuse before their separation, including choking her and hitting one of their children so hard he left a “full handprint” mark on the child’s back. She testified that Parnell has thrown chairs across the room toward her; pinned her down and screamed profanities at her; called her crazy in front of the children; and once dropped her off on Interstate 79 when she was six months pregnant and told her to get an abortion.
Parnell has denied her allegations as “complete fabrications.” In a court hearing earlier this month, he countered with claims under oath that she physically abused him, although he declined to offer specifics.
In his decision, Arner wrote that he found Parnell’s testimony “less credible,” citing his demeanor and dress in the courtroom and his tendency to focus on his attorneys and the news media while testifying, rather than looking at the judge.
Parnell “simply denied that all of incidents ever happened, except he did describe his view of the incident when his younger son was hit by a closet door,” Arner wrote. “He was somewhat evasive. When weighing his position against Laurie Snell’s statements of detailed facts about many incidents, Sean Parnell’s position is less believable.”
Arner said he also considered testimony under oath from all three children, as well as mental and physical assessments of the children and the parents, which would remain confidential.
In May, Parnell launched his campaign for an open Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who is retiring at the end of his term next year. Parnell, a former U.S. Army Ranger, ran for Congress in 2020 in the Pittsburgh area, losing by about 2 percentage points.