The Democratic candidate for Maryland's 1st Congressional District withdrew from the race Monday after the state party said she committed voter fraud by casting a ballot in both Maryland and Florida in multiple political contests.
Wendy Rosen, a small-business woman expected to face Republican Rep. Andy Harris in November, announced her resignation via email to Democratic officials.
"I have been proud to serve as the Democratic congressional candidate of Maryland's 1st Congressional District for the last five months, so it is with great regret, and much sorrow that I must resign," she said. "Personal issues have made this the hardest decision that I have had to make."
In a letter to Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, Yvette Lewis, chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party, asked for a "full investigation" of Rosen.
"The Maryland Democratic Party has discovered that Ms. Rosen has been registered to vote in both Florida and Maryland since at least 2006; that she in fact voted in the 2006 general election both in Florida and Maryland; and that she voted in the presidential preference primaries held in both Florida and Maryland in 2008," Lewis wrote.
Democratic sources told The Washington Examiner they were tipped off to the voting irregularity over the weekend and confronted Rosen on Monday morning. Senior Democrats then asked for Rosen's resignation, and she agreed to bow out of the race.
Rosen did not return calls for comment on Monday but told the Baltimore Sun that she registered to vote in Florida to support a friend running for St. Petersburg City Council.
Maryland Democrats looked to distance their party from the incident Monday.
"The Maryland Democratic Party strongly believes in upholding and expanding the right to vote, but, at the same time, believes there should be zero tolerance for voter fraud of any kind," Lewis said.
Under Maryland election law, Democratic central committees in the 1st District will select an alternative candidate. They are expected to make a decision in coming days.
However, most analysts expect Harris to trounce any Democrat, as the Eastern Shore district has become even more conservative in the wake of recent redistricting.
