Republican Representative Tom Garrett announced on Monday that he would not be not seeking reelection to Virginia’s 5th District in the fall due to problems related to alcoholism.
Garrett had been under increasing scrutiny after a Politico article last week showcased the way in which Garrett and his wife treated his congressional staff like personal servants. A series of ex-staffers made it clear that Garrett forced then to run trivial errands and even clean up after his dog. Multiple staffers complained of Garrett’s “explosive temper” and inappropriate demands from his wife.
Garrett’s chief of staff quit last week after making similar allegations of misuse of congressional resources. The level of complaints around Garrett had raised the possibility of an ethics hearing. Garrett taped a reply to the article on Friday in which he called the allegations “half truths and whole lies.” Garrett filed for reelection in February, and stated last Thursday that he would be running. He insists that the reason he has changed his mind is entirely his alcoholism, not the allegations of current and former staff.
A member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Garrett has often taken extreme positions, favoring government shutdowns and even voting against funding that covered military funerals. Garrett has also been supportive of many of Donald Trump’s worst actions. Though Garrett had a reputation for not meeting with constituents, and having one of the worst attendance records in Congress, he did find time to meet with Jason Kessler, the white nationalist organizer of the Charlottesville rally.
The Washington Post had recently referred to the 5th Congressional District as “Virginia’s sleeper race,” noting some of Garrett’s laughable positions and his “anemic” fundraising. The Democratic candidate in the the 5th District is journalist and author Leslie Cockburn. Cockburn had significantly out-raised Garrett to this point, changing the rating on the district from solidly Republican to lean Republican even in advance of Garrett’s resignation.