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Trey Radel Submits Letter of Resignation (Updated)

Radel pleaded guilty to cocaine possession in November. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Radel pleaded guilty to cocaine possession in November. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Updated 11:32 a.m. | First-term Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., will resign from Congress at 6:30 p.m., according to his letter of resignation sent Monday to Speaker John. A. Boehner of Ohio.

In his letter, Radel says he cannot “effectively serve” anymore.

Radel was arrested in October for cocaine possession and later pleaded guilty to that charge. He would have faced several primary challengers if he sought re-election.

“Unfortunately, some of my struggles had serious consequences,” he wrote in his letter to Boehner. “While I have dealt with those issues on a personal level, it is my belief that I cannot fully and effectively serve as a United States Representative to the place I call home, Southwest Florida.”

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Radel also sent letters to Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner.

His state’s party leadership called for his resignation in November and the GOP primary was, in some ways, moving on without him. For now, the obvious contenders are state Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, former state Rep. Paige Kreegel and former Naples City Councilman Chauncey Goss.

Goss is the son of former Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla.

Florida’s 19th District is rated a Safe Republican seat by the Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.

Radel had repeatedly said he would not resign although he faced an investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

He returned to Congress after a stint in rehab and later named a new communications director earlier this month.

For more information on which members have retired or resigned, please see Roll Call’s Casualty List.

Politico first reported the news of Radel’s resignation.

Emma Dumain contributed to this report.

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