The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that a judge decided that Laurie Snell would have sole legal custody of the children, while Parnell would only be allowed three weekends a month with them. It would have been difficult for Parnell to continue his campaign.
The Parnell campaign has said for weeks that the fate of the Senate candidate would be determined by the judge.
Advisers said that Parnell could have won in Pennsylvania if he had kept custody of his children. Losing his kids spelled the end of the campaign.
Christopher Nicholas, a Pennsylvania Republican consultant, said that Parnell's kids are old enough to have weekend commitments. How could he take care of them while he was campaigning across the state?
Trump blamed his son Don Jr., a friend of Parnell's who pushed for the endorsement, for how his endorsement of Parnell has panned out.
A person familiar with Trump's commentary on Parnell says it has included questions such as, "What a mess, what is going on there?" What is going on with that guy?
The person said that he was pretty focused on it. He is being tied to it.
Trump didn't withdraw his support for Parnell after he was accused of abuse. The Trump team was going to hold a January fundraiser for Parnell at Mar-a-Lago.
Republicans want to take control of the Senate from Democrats in 2022. President Joe Biden won the state in 2020 and the GOP is defending the seat.
Parnell's exit from the race makes it more likely that other high-profile Republicans will jump in. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity physician known as "Dr. Oz," has begun assembling staff for a possible run in Pennsylvania's Senate Republican primary. The head of the hedge fund is in talks about entering the field.
A source familiar with Ryan Costello's plans says that the former congressman is considering entering the race and is expected to make a decision soon.
Jeff Bartos and Carla Sands are both trailing behind Parnell in polling.
There is a crowded field of Democrats in the primary.
This report was contributed to by a person.
