Democrat David Wu's resignation: Winners and losers

The Oregon congressman announces that he'll step down in the face of a damaging sex scandal. A look at the potential fallout

Rep. David Wu's (D-Ore.) resignation may actually benefit Democrats, since they can try to replace the scandal-stained congressman with a candidate less vulnerable to Republicans.
(Image credit: Facebook/David Wu)

Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.) announced Tuesday that he will resign from Congress, just days after a newspaper reported that a teenage woman had accused the seven-term congressman of forcing her into an "unwanted sexual encounter." Wu has acknowledged that something happened between him and the 18-year-old, a daughter of one of his donors, but maintained that it was consensual. Wu, who has grown increasingly unpopular following reports of odd behavior (including sending staff members a photo of himself in a tiger costume), initially said he would stay in office, but not run for an eighth term next year. Now he says he'll retire once Congress resolves the debt-ceiling crisis, so he can focus on the needs of his children while "fighting these very serious accusations." Who benefits from this episode, and who gets hurt? Here, a brief guide:

WINNERS

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us