Nearly two months after becoming the subject of a temporary protection-from-abuse order and amid pressure from party leaders to drop a reelection bid, House District 66 Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, D-Brunswick, announced June 29 he would not seek re-election.

The story was the No. 10 most important to Times Record editors and readers in 2012, according to an informal poll.

In a letter to The Times Record, Cornell du Houx wrote that his decision to take on an active duty role in the U.S. Navy precluded him from running for a third term.

Cornell du Houx, a Democrat, wrote that the decision is partly a career move — “I am 29, and realistically it is a challenge to find a career option that works with the legislative schedule” — but also acknowledged that political pressure following the request for a protection order filed against him by Rep. Erin Herbig, D-Belfast, played a role in the decision.

Ben Grant, chairman of Maine’s Democratic Par ty, had urged Cornell du Houx to resign.

In a letter to constituents dated June 15, Cornell du Houx blasted Grant for publicly urging him to drop his reelection bid.

“His unnecessary comments reignited false accusations even though I was cleared by the police,” Cornell du Houx wrote in his letter to The Times Record.

Herbig requested and received a protection- from-abuse order against du Houx after allegations he stalked her and possessed photographs of her. Temporary orders are often granted as a precaution until a trial or other resolution is reached.

Herbig and Cornell du Houx reached a settlement and the request for a protection from-abuse order was withdrawn before the matter went to court.

In the settlement, Cornell du Houx agreed to pay $9,000 in Herbig’s legal fees and turn over any computer hard drives and data storage devices with pictures of her to Herbig’s lawyer.

The agreement also barred both lawmakers from publicly discussing the terms of their settlement.

In an election season that ultimately sent control of the State House to Democrats, Du Houx’s late resignation set off a frenzy to fill his seat, with all three candidates chosen by caucus after the June 12 party primary date.

K. Frederick Horch took the Green Independent Party’s nomination in a caucus on July 8.

John Bouchard, who submitted nomination papers to run as a Republican in the race, moved from the district and ran as the Republican nominee in House District 63 instead, where he lost to Rep. Charles Priest, D-Brunswick.

Grant Connors replaced Bouchard as the District 66 nominee based on a caucus vote by Brunswick Republicans.