The woman whose affair with former Rep. Tim Murphy ultimately led to his resignation is now running for Congress, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Shannon Edwards, a clinical forensic psychologist, is running as a Republican in Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District race, she announced Wednesday in downtown Pittsburgh, according to the newspaper.
CNN has attempted to reach Edwards for comment.
Murphy, a Pennsylvania Republican who held a staunchly anti-abortion voting record while he was in Congress, had urged Edwards, with whom he was having an affair, to get an abortion, according to messages obtained and released by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last October.
“And you have zero issue posting your pro-life stance all over the place when you had no issue asking me to abort our unborn child just last week when we thought that was one of the options,” Edwards reportedly wrote to Murphy on January 25, facing a pregnancy scare.
Murphy decided to resign shortly thereafter in October, opening up a March 13 special election in the 18th District.
During her announcement Wednesday, Edwards said she doesn’t regret her past relationship with Murphy and expects it will be used against her during the campaign, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
“My opponents are likely to spend egregious amounts of time and money in an attempt to display my human mistakes for all to see,” Edwards said. “I was warned. I have been given explanations. I have been told to back down, and I am here to tell you, nevertheless, I will endure.”
Although Edwards is running in the 14th District, she could face a different opponent in the May primary due to the state Supreme Court’s map of new redrawn congressional districts.
If the redrawn map holds, the current 18th District, with some tweaks, would become the new 14th District, and Edwards could find herself up against Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone, who’s running to fill Murphy’s vacant seat.
Edwards’ campaign plans to focus on mental health issues, education and criminal justice reform, the Post-Gazette reported.
