Despite admitting Monday night to becoming “violent with other people, including my former wife” in the mid-1970s, South Carolina Democratic congressional candidate Archie Parnell has refused to quit the race.
“This campaign has always been about the people of the 5th district, my home, but never about me,” he told the Charleston Post and Courier Tuesday. “Forty five years ago, while still a college student, I did something that I have regretted every single day since. In response to actions I feel unnecessary to specify, I lashed out and became violent with other people, including my former wife, which led to a divorce and monumental change in my life.”
The unspecified actions, according to divorce records documenting allegations from the candidate’s ex-wife Kathleen Parnell and obtained by the Post and Courier, are as follows: In 1973, Archie Parnell used a tire iron to break into some friends’ apartment, “after being locked out for the protection of the Plaintiff,” who was inside.
Parnell then “did repeatedly strike the Plaintiff, with such force as to cause her acute physical injury,” his ex-wife alleged in the divorce records. Kathleen Parnell was “again accosted and beaten by the Defendant” later the same night, she said.
After filing for a divorce citing “acts of physical cruelty,” Kathleen Parnell obtained a restraining order, the Post and Courier reported. The divorce was finalized the next year.
Parnell did not deny the allegations when confronted about his past this week, the paper said.
“These actions were inexcusable, wrong and downright embarrassing,” Parnell told the Post and Courier Monday night, without specifying what actions he was referencing. “Since then, my life has been changed by a remarkable woman, two amazing daughters, a forgiving God and a career that has taught me to cherish what I have.”
The revelations by the Post and Courier prompted a massive exodus by Parnell’s campaign staff, rapid un-endorsements from numerous high-profile supporters and calls to quit the race from Democratic elders and organizations including the party’s congressional campaign committee.
He’ll drop out. As he should.
Please tell us about the domestic violence programming that you’ve undertaken and how that led to the changes you’ve made. Why should you be considered an advocate for women at this time? I’d hate to think all your ex-wife got for her trouble was a divorce and some scars.
According to his website he wants to bring a certain South Carolinian species of “civility” to Washington. But maybe there’s an instinct for politics that’s missing here and the idea of seeking public office was misguided.
It’s not impossible that during the ensuing 45 years he’s learned better. Lots of people do really stupid, even really assh*le things in college, and then learn from them and become decent people. (Unlike, say, trump and his cronies, or Bush2 and his.)
But the fact that he didn’t even consider telling anyone about this during the exploratory phase, along with the immediate exodus of most of his staff, does not inspire confidence.
At least he was quite clear that what he did then was terribly wrong, rather than just apologizing to anyone who might have been offended. (Or threatening/assaulting the reporters who asked him to comment.)
Unfortunately, the primary for SC is only a few weeks off, Parnell was the prohibitive favorite before this, and none of the remaining candidates are terribly strong alternatives. Parnell also performed surprisingly well in the 2017 special election against Ralph Norman for Mulvaney’s old seat. There’s a legit chance that Parnell could win the primary off name recognition alone. Ugh.
While this is a heavily Republican district, given the results in the special election last year, this was a decent shot at picking off a GOP House seat. It’s too bad the Democrats are going to have to write this one off now.