Rep. Duncan Hunter resigns from Congress
The California Republican pleaded guilty to conspiracy to misuse campaign funds last month.
Rep. Duncan Hunter will officially step down from Congress next week, more than a month after the California Republican pleaded guilty to conspiracy to misuse campaign funds.
Hunter had previously said he would leave Congress after the holidays. His resignation will take effect Jan. 13, according to a copy of the letter he sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday.
“Perhaps the contribution I am most proud of is giving a voice to our men and women in uniform,” wrote Hunter, a Marine Corps veteran. “It has been an honor to serve the people of California’s 50th district, and I greatly appreciate the trust they have put in me over these last 11 years.”
Hunter, 43, and his wife Margaret were indicted in August 2018 for allegedly diverting $250,000 in campaign funds for personal use, including to pay for lavish family vacations and their children’s school tuition. Prosecutors also accused Hunter of using campaign cash to pursue extramarital affairs with lobbyists and congressional aides.
The Hunters, who have three children, face recommended prison sentences of 8 to 14 months in the agreements worked out by their lawyers and the Justice Department, although the court is not bound to abide by those plea deals. Hunter is set to be sentenced on March 17.
The legal cloud that has hung over Hunter has prompted other Republicans to seek his seat in the solidly conservative district in Southern California. Both former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio and former Rep. Darrell Issa are running for the seat, and Issa said he jumped into the race under the assumption that Hunter would not be on the ballot next November. Democrats are also heavily targeting the district.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) does not have to call a special election because the nomination period has closed and it’s an election year, raising the prospect that the seat could remain vacant for the rest of 2020.
“The people of the 5oth Congressional District deserve their voice in Congress restored,” DeMaio said in a statement. “Leaving the 50th Congressional District vacant for a full year is wholly unacceptable, and I urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to call a Special Election as soon as possible.”
Hunter’s resignation represents the end of an era for his family, who have been a political dynasty in Southern California politics for decades. Hunter or his father, Duncan Hunter Sr., have held that San Diego seat since 1980.
When he first came to Congress in 2009, Hunter was seen as something as a young rising star in the GOP. But he developed a reputation on Capitol Hill for drinking heavily and carousing, and after his indictment, he was stripped of all his committee assignments, essentially making him a pariah on Capitol Hill.
But despite being arrested for misusing campaign funds, Hunter — one of Trump’s earliest congressional supporters — went on to win reelection in the 2018 midterms.