Pennsylvania Republican Ryan Costello will not seek re-election
A Republican Pennsylvania congressman has announced that he will not seek re-election, boosting Democratic hopes of winning his House seat.
U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello announced on Sunday that he would not be running, ending weeks of speculation about his future.
During an appearance on MSNBC, the second-term congressman called it "the most difficult decision" he's ever had to make and said it was due to a number of factors including the state's new congressional map.
Under the discarded map, Costello's suburban Philadelphia district had a Republican majority that nevertheless helped Clinton beat President Trump there by 2 percentage points in 2016. The redrawn district has slightly more Democrats and Clinton would have won it by 9 percentage points.
In an interview with the Delaware County Daily News Times, Costello also cited the environment surrounding today's politics as a factor to his decision.
"Whether it's (President Trump's rumored affair with porn start) Stormy Daniels, or passing an omnibus spending bill that the president threatens to veto after promising to sign, it's very difficult to move forward in a constructive way today," Costello explained.
"Plus I think there is a lot of hate out there, from the left especially, and it's a very angry environment," he said. "It is a sad commentary on the state of our culture and political environment. It's not me doing it, but I am the one who gets the brunt of it."
Costello was expected to face a tough election battle against Democrat Chrissy Houlahan.