The campaign manager for the Democratic candidate in Ohio's 1st Congressional District has resigned less than a week before November's midterm elections.
Aftab Pureval, who is running against Rep. Steve Chabot (R., Ohio), said Wednesday he accepted the resignation of campaign manager Sarah Topy.
"Our campaign holds itself to the highest standards of professionalism and accountability," he told The Cincinnati Enquirer. "Yesterday we learned new information that led us to believe members of our staff may not have lived up to those standards. Because we did not want this issue to be a distraction in the final days, I’ve also accepted the resignation of my campaign manager."
Pureval did not provide details about the "new information." However, on Tuesday, the Ohio Republican Party accused a Pureval campaign worker of infiltrating Chabot's campaign.
"While the actions of a few are inappropriate, we're proud of the campaign we've run," Pureval said.
The Ohio Republican Party claimed a man working for Pureval's campaign accessed a sensitive voter database while pretending to be a volunteer for Chabot's campaign. It is unknown if Pureval knew of the breach or ordered it, though he denied any involvement, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Maps provided by the Chabot campaign on Tuesday show information was put into the Republican's campaign database from a house on Ruther Avenue in Clifton. That house is owned by John "Jack" Dohrenwend, according to Hamilton County property records.
Pureval said last week that Dohrenwend was a volunteer on the Democrat's campaign, but that the 22-year-old Milford native was not directed to infiltrate Chabot's campaign. Nonetheless, Pureval's campaign manager sent a code-of-conduct to campaign staffers and interns after The Enquirer reached out to the campaign to ask about Dohrenwend.
Pureval said local political consultant Jens Sutmoller will serve as chief of staff during the final week of the campaign.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's last ad in the district expired last week, a signal the party may have given up on the district.
Pureval, the Hamilton County clerk of courts, is under scrutiny for misusing campaign funds. He spent $30,000 from his county clerk campaign account in the early months of 2018 despite not being up for election in that role until 2020. Campaign finance regulations require the spending be kept separate because donations are capped at $5,400 in Pureval's congressional race. Pureval will appear before the Ohio Election Commission on Thursday.