Connecticut Democrat Rep. Elizabeth Esty has been under fire for days. She did nothing when one of her male staffers threatened a female staffer with death and people have been calling for her to step down. Now she has announced she will not seek reelection.
The Hartford Courant reports:
Rep. Elizabeth Esty Not Running For Re-Election After Mishandling Abuse Allegations
Facing a firestorm of criticism for mishandling domestic violence allegations against her since-fired chief of staff, U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty announced late Monday afternoon that she will not run for re-election in November.
In a written statement, Esty, a Democrat from Cheshire, said she “could have and should have done better” after learning that her top adviser had punched and threatened to kill a female staffer in her office who he had once dated.
“To the survivor, I want to express my strongest apology for letting you down,” she said of Anna Kain, the former aide who was harassed by Esty’s former chief of staff, Tony Baker.
Esty, in her third term, was facing increasing calls to resign, including from fellow Democrats who were appalled that she had kept Baker on staff for three months after being made aware of the allegations against him in May 2016. Baker was ultimately dismissed but not before receiving $5,000 in severance and a recommendation that helped him land a job at the gun control group Sandy Hook Promise.
Given the fact that Connecticut is a deeply blue state, Esty will probably be replaced with another Democrat. That should not stop Republicans from making an effort, however. Every seat counts.
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