Ramaley

PITTSBURGH — The only sitting state legislator charged in an investigation into the use of taxpayer money for political campaigns said Thursday that he is dropping out of his race for state Senate.

Democratic Rep. Sean Ramaley of Beaver County called the charges an orchestrated, politically inspired media event, and said he would not have the chance to prove his innocence before the Nov. 4 general election.

Further, his candidacy would focus the race on the charges, not issues like health care for the uninsured and help for public schools, he said. He said he also believed the criminal case could even hurt the prospects of other Democratic candidates.

"There is too much at stake in this election," Ramaley said. "For us, as a commonwealth and a nation, this election is critical; too critical for distractions and political cheap shots."

Ramaley's attorney, Philip Ignelzi, said the charges will "go a long way in assisting (Republicans) in winning this seat."

Ramaley, 33, was a rising star in Democratic politics.

The attorney and two-term state representative won the Democratic nomination to run for the 47th district Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Gerald LaValle after securing key endorsements from party officials and labor unions.

He won Allegheny College's Ethical Leader of the Year award in 1997, earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh and worked on campaigns in Western Pennsylvania. He took jobs as an aide in the Ohio Legislature and an attorney in the U.S. Department of Labor. His wife is an assistant district attorney in Allegheny County.