On Monday, following accusations that he'd sexually harassed multiple women—backed up by almost a dozen witnesses coming forward to report similar behavior—Democratic state Sen. Daylin Leach announced he was "taking a step back" from his campaign against GOP Rep. Pat Meehan in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District. Leach didn't say whether he was suspending or dropping his bid, but his attorney says "it doesn't mean he's quitting the race," adding that Leach "just wants to pause and reflect."
But Leach wouldn't be very welcome back. Immediately after the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the allegations, Leach not only denied everything but also sought to impugn his accusers. Of one former staffer who spoke out, Aubrey Montgomery, Leach complained that "when the humor was flying, she was at least as racy as anyone else." That, unfortunately, was just the start.
Leach was utterly savage to another woman, Colleen Kennedy, who posted a pain-wracked essay about her experiences working for Leach in which she repeatedly called him a personal hero but said she felt she had to come forward because he'd "done things that have hurt other women I have cared about." In a since-deleted Facebook comment, Leach wrote:
"Nobody is blocking you Colleen. But you are a truly horrific monster. You fabricate insane attacks and laughable lies agains someone who was never anything but nice to you. To hell with what you do to my family, kids, the progressive movement, etc. I hope whatever it is that makes you such an unhappy person gets resolved. in a world where making progress is so freakin hard, you are just a human wrecking ball of hate."
Someone definitely needs to pause and reflect here.