AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) announced Tuesday that he would resign from Congress next month, expediting his departure from Capitol Hill. Dent, a moderate Republican who has emerged as a top critic of President Donald Trump, announced last year that he would not seek re-election to an eighth term for his Lehigh Valley district. “It is my intention to continue to aggressively advocate for responsible governance and pragmatic solutions in the coming years,” Dent said in a statement. In an interview last year with The Daily Beast, Dent cited in part the evolution of the Republican Party under Trump—namely “growing trends of isolationism, protectionism and nativism”—as a reason to leave Congress. He has warned of an impending Democratic wave election this year and has advised his fellow Republicans to “develop your own brand” so that Trump does not weigh on those incumbents as a liability in their re-election fights.
—Andrew Desiderio