Parnell (D) under pressure to quit as court files show 'physical cruelty' to ex-wife

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Democrats’ chances of flipping a Republican seat in South Carolina’s historically red 5th District took a major hit after court documents emerged Monday saying candidate Archie Parnell abused his ex-wife in the 1970's.

The stunning revelation has swiftly led to calls from his own party for the Democratic congressional candidate to withdraw from the race.

“This is truly a sad situation," DNC Associate Chairman Jaime Harrison said on Twitter, urging Parnell to withdraw. “The publicity today must be devastating for his former wife & his current family.”

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They say that on an October morning in 1973, Parnell's wife Kathleen was with friends at an apartment when Parnell, then a college student, “force(d) his way into the said apartment by breaking out the glass door with a tire iron, after being locked out for the protection of the plaintiff.”

The records go on to describe Parnell entering the apartment and repeatedly striking his wife, causing an “acute physical injury.”

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Later that night, Kathleen was allegedly beaten again.

She later filed a restraining order against her husband until their divorce was finalized in 1974.

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Even Parnell's former campaign staffers have turned on him since the documents' release.

“He should drop out immediately,” said John Kraljevich, Parnell’s social media director until March, when he resigned to run for the state House.

Parnell’s campaign manager, Yates Barody, said she saw the documents Thursday and formally resigned after finding out about the candidate’s past.

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