Another rat is jumping the ship. A hoard of Republicans has already announced that they do not plan to run again. The latest member of the GOP to leave will be gone in weeks, marking a huge change in his party.
So many of the moderate Republicans have said they are retiring at the end of their term, they have become an endangered species. Soon, the party will not even be the ultra-conservative Tea Party. No, it will become the Donald Trump party.
Moderate Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA) announced he was resigning. Instead of waiting out the rest of his term, he said he would leave Congress “in the coming weeks.”
JUST IN: Rep. Charlie Dent announces his intention to resign from Congress next month. pic.twitter.com/8EkoIyk6p1
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 17, 2018
He released a statement and also posted it on Twitter. Dent said leaving was the result of “careful reflection:”
‘After discussions with my family and careful reflection…It is my intention to continue to aggressively advocate for responsible governance and pragmatic solutions in the coming years.’
That leaves his seat open for a special election under Pennsylvania state law. Governor Tom Wolf must declare one just 10 days after the representative vacates his office. Then, the election must happen within 60 days of Wolf’s declaration.
The way it works in Pennsylvania is Republican leaders choose their candidate instead of holding a primary. According to Roll Call, this complicates matters:
‘Whoever wins the special election would not be able to run for a full term, since the filing deadline for the November election has passed and the May 15 primary for the 2018 election is one month away.’
Twitter world lit up. Check out some of our favorite tweets below:
Featured Image via GOP.com.
