Rep. Tim Murphy (PA-05) announced he would not seek re-election after reports surfaced that he not only had an affair, but that he urged his mistress to have an abortion when the pair thought she might be pregnant (she wasn't). Murphy is one of the most vocal so-called “pro-life” members of Congress. Just this week he co-sponsored a bill restricting women's access to abortion:
Murphy is a member of the House Pro-Life Caucus and has voted to impose more restrictions on abortion access. Earlier this week, Murphy voted in favor of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which "would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy," according to GovTrack.
Within hours of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s publishing of text messages between Murphy and his mistress, which seemed to confirm he had urged her to have an abortion, he announced he would not run for re-election in 2018. Turns out, he’s not going to make it to 2018, he’s pulling the plug on his political career and will leave Congress on Oct. 21.
For information about a potential special election or potential replacements for Murphy, stay tuned for news from Daily Kos Elections team.