Allegations of Abuse Against Sean Parnell Threaten to Upset Pennsylvania GOP Senate Primary

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Everything about the Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary pointed in Sean Parnell’s direction.

Parnell, a decorated former Army Ranger turned Fox News author and frequent guest who launched his Senate bid in May after narrowly losing a House race in 2020, won former President Donald Trump’s endorsement in September, becoming the first frontrunner in a critical race for GOP hopes to recapture the Senate.

But domestic violence charges exploded in the public eye this month during custody hearings in state family court, threatening to hurt his candidacy.

Seeking primary custody of the couple’s children in divorce proceedings, Parnell’s ex-wife Laurie Snell testified under oath before a judge about the abuse she and herself suffered. sometimes their children. Parnell spoke up this week to forcefully deny his accusations. Still, his testimony, according to six sources who spoke to NBC News, put Republicans on edge.

“You can’t walk into a general election in a tough state like Pennsylvania fighting with one arm behind your back, and that’s what will happen if you have a candidate who has terribly militarized times in his life like this one exposed, “said Nick Everhart, a Republican media consultant who has experience in Pennsylvania. “You see other credible names emerging, because with the wind in your back and a chance to win in Pennsylvania, there is real hope that [Parnell] sees the writing on the wall to get out and back for the greater good. “

The timing for a high-profile court case involving serious charges against a once promising Senate candidate is particularly frustrating for a GOP keen to take advantage of new opportunities. After a triumph last week in the gubernatorial race in Virginia, where Republicans have proven they can win with a candidate who is not deeply devoted to Trump, their potential best recruit to the Senate, the governor of New Hampshire Chris Sununu, has decided not to run. This makes Pennsylvania even more crucial to the party’s efforts to break Democrats’ thin grip on the Senate next year.

One of Parnell’s main opponents began raising questions about Parnell’s personal conduct in September, after Trump released his endorsement. Former lieutenant governor Republican Jeff Bartos used an interview and a website hosted by his campaign to draw attention to documents showing Snell had been granted temporary protection against Parnell’s abuse orders in 2017 and 2018.

Neither order was made permanent and both were struck from the record without Snell’s objection, which she admitted in court this week, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

But during her testimony last week, Snell gave previously unknown details of what she said prompted her to ask for orders. Snell said Parnell once strangled her on a sofa to the point that she had to bite him to get free, The Inquirer reported. She said her abusive behavior started before their marriage in 2010 and worsened in 2018, the year they separated.

According to The Inquirer, she said Parnell called her a “bitch” and a “piece of shit” while pinning her to the ground. She testified that in 2008, while pregnant with their first child, Parnell briefly forced her out of their vehicle while on a trip and told her to “go have an abortion.”

Snell also alleged that Parnell once slapped one of their three children hard enough on the back to leave marks.

Responding in court on Monday and Tuesday, Parnell denied the allegations, testifying that he had never strangled Snell or cornered her, hit their children or suggested that Snell should have an abortion. He accused Snell of claiming he hit a closet door so hard he hit one of their children in the face and left him with a bruise. He also denied that a photo which Snell’s lawyers said showed one of their children with a welt shaped like a handprint on their back was actually of their child.

“It just wasn’t a good relationship,” he said, according to The Inquirer.

Parnell’s attorneys also noted that a judge dismissed Snell’s 2018 request for a permanent restraining order based on child abuse allegations, which Parnell said did not happen. .

Despite living separately for three years, Parnell and Snell shared custody of their children equally. The two are asking for primary custody, NBC affiliate WPXI of Pittsburgh reported.

In another case, Snell is suing the Parnell nonprofit, which helps veterans access certain services, alleging that it experienced a “hostile work environment” while working for a company that was dealing with his organization, followed by “retaliation” after the couple broke up.

Snell and a representative for Parnell did not respond to requests for comment.

“The past week has been without a doubt the most trying in the life of my young family,” Parnell said in a statement after his court appearance on Tuesday. “I love my children, and being their father is the greatest honor I have ever had. Now that I have had the opportunity to present my case, I will have nothing more to say until then. let the judge render his decision. “

Most of the National and Pennsylvania Republicans who spoke to NBC News were reluctant to openly weigh in on a fight that could put them at odds with Trump, and they requested anonymity to speak frankly.

“We are in a world where we say nothing matters anymore,” said a GOP strategist who works on Senate races. “But we’re talking about a guy accused of hitting his wife and kids, and that matters.”

Parnell has not appeared on Fox News programming since September 28, according to an Internet Archive database search. A Franklin & Marshall College poll conducted before the allegations were released found that while he was leading the pack, his support had actually waned since a summer poll.

Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr., another big funder, appear to be sticking with Parnell, at least for now. Punchbowl News reported last week that Elder Trump announced a fundraiser for Parnell scheduled for January at his property in Mar-a-Lago, Fla.

A spokesperson for the former president did not respond to a request for comment.

Other top funders, like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., And Reps Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, and Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., Haven’t responded to requests for comment. The re-election campaign for Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., Another supporter of Parnell, responded that they had no comment “in relation to Parnell’s personal attacks.”

Trump’s approval is, for now, the only thing Parnell has going for him in the race, the strategist said, adding: “His approval carries enormous weight. If he were to withdraw the approval, Parnell is made.”

A Pennsylvania Republican, who said he had doubts about Parnell before the allegations were made public in Snell’s testimony, said the allegations “were going to harass ‘Parnell’ for the entire campaign,” no matter what. the judge’s decision.

“It’s just a mess. I don’t know how he stays in the race. I just don’t see it. But it’s a new world,” the person said.

A Parnell ally said most donors and other political supporters were waiting for a decision in the custody case before doing anything.

“It’s very black and white to me,” the person said. “If he loses custody of his children the campaign is over for him. But if he does, I really believe he will survive, easily win the primary and then defeat the Democrat overall.”

But others are looking for second choices in the race, which also includes Bartos, the former candidate for lieutenant governor; Carla Sands, former Trump ambassador to Denmark; Kathy Barnette, who, like Parnell, defeated a congressional candidacy last fall; and other lesser-known candidates.

Sands, given his service in the Trump administration, could become a pro-Trump alternative. Bartos has already been recognized statewide since his 2018 run.

And two new names have appeared in recent days. On Twitter, former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway drew attention on Tuesday to a Washington Free Beacon report on efforts to recruit hedge fund CEO David McCormick, the husband of the former head of the Trump administration Dina Powell in the running. On the same day, The Free Beacon reported that Dr Mehmet Oz, the TV doctor, was “preparing” a campaign and cited a non-denial from a spokesperson who said that Oz “was encouraged to run for the US Senate, but is currently focused on our show. “

The Democratic side also has a deep primary field, with Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, Representative Conor Lamb, State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta and Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh among those seeking the party’s nomination. .

“He still has plenty of time to tell his story if he gets a good ruling from the judge in the days or weeks to come,” Vince Galko, a Pennsylvania-based GOP strategist, said of Parnell, adding that the media reported new potentials. the candidates reflect the “dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction” of voters and donors.

“The fact that more people are entering the race than leaving and that no one is solidifying behind a candidate at this point shows that this is still an open race,” said Galko.

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