Republican Sean Parnell, who was backed by former President Donald Trump in the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey, announced on Monday that he is suspending his campaign.
Parnell has informed Trump of the decision, according to a Politico report.
On Monday, a judge in Butler County, Pennsylvania, awarded Parnell's wife, Laurie Snell, primary custody and sole legal custody of their three children, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In a statement, Parnell said that he planned to focus his energy on his children.
"I strongly disagree with the ruling today and I'm devastated by the decision. I plan on asking the court to reconsider this decision. In the order, two of the leading factors that weighed heavily in the judge's decision revolved around me being a leading US Senate candidate," he said.
"There is nothing more important to me than my children, and while I plan to ask the court to reconsider, I can't continue with a Senate campaign," Parnell went on to say. "My focus right now is 100% on my children, and I want them to know I do not have any other priorities and will never stop fighting for them."
In recent months, Parnell's candidacy had faced scrutiny over allegations that he abused his estranged wife and children, which he vehemently denied.
Two temporary protection-from-abuse orders sought by Parnell's wife were issued in 2017 and 2018, according to The Inquirer.
After a hearing, neither of the orders were extended, and they were eventually expunged, per The Inquirer.