Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Sean Parnell suspends campaign after losing custody battle

Sean Parnell.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, file)

Republican Sean Parnell has suspended his Pennsylvania Senate campaign, after he lost a custody battle for his children.

His estranged wife, Laurie Snell, has accused him of abuse, testifying in court earlier this month that he hit and choked her and slapped one of their children. She also said Parnell would call her derogatory names and scream at her in front of their three kids. A judge ruled on Monday that Snell will have sole legal custody, with Parnell able to see the children up to three weekends a month.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.