( CNN ) -- Oregon Democrat David Wu officially resigned from Congress late Wednesday night in the wake of accusations of unwanted sexual advances toward a fundraiser 's daughter . Wu , who was serving his seventh term in the House of Representatives , announced his resignation last week but postponed his official departure until after the House voted on the debt-ceiling bill on Monday . According to a statement released Wednesday , Wu notified Oregon Gov . John Kitzhaber and House Speaker John Boehner of his resignation effective Wednesday at 11:59 p.m . ET . `` Serving as a U.S. congressman has been the greatest honor of my life , '' Wu said in his handwritten letter to the governor . `` There is no other job where you get up each day and ask , 'How can I try to make the world a better place today ? ' '' Kitzhaber announced Thursday that a special primary election for Wu 's seat will be held on November 8 , followed by a general election on January 31 . Last month , Portland newspaper The Oregonian reported that the daughter of one of Wu 's fundraisers accused him of unwanted sexual advances in May . Citing anonymous sources from inside the congressman 's office , The Oregonian said the woman , whom it declined to name , left a voice mail message at Wu 's Portland office alleging aggressive advances . According to the newspaper , the woman was 18 when the alleged incident took place in November and it was never reported to police . With House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi seeking an ethics investigation after that news and calls for his resignation mounting back home , the congressman 's spokesman said last week that he would not seek re-election and was `` considering all options '' regarding the rest of his term . A day later , Wu announced he would step down . `` I can not care for my family the way I wish while serving in Congress and fighting these very serious allegations , '' Wu said then . `` The well-being of my children must come before anything else . '' The 56-year-old congressman , who separated from his wife in 2009 , disclosed in February that he had sought `` professional medical care '' after dealing with campaign stress , his responsibilities as a single father and his father 's death . The Oregonian reported that campaign aides had confronted him about his erratic behavior and use of medication during his 2010 re-election bid . `` I fully acknowledge that I could have dealt with these difficult circumstances better , and I remain focused on being a good father to my children and a strong representative for the people of Oregon , '' he said at the time . Wu 's Portland-area district is heavily Democratic , and he won each of his races by double-digit margins . Rep. Steve Israel , the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee , said his party has long dominated elections in Oregon 's 1st Congressional District , adding that a Democrat has held the seat since 1975 . In the past two presidential elections , the Democratic presidential nominees -- Sen. John Kerry , D-Massachusetts in 2004 and then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008 -- carried the district . `` We are confident that a Democrat will continue to represent the families in this overwhelmingly Democratic district , '' Israel said . Republican businessman Rob Cornilles said he will announce his candidacy for the vacant seat Thursday . He ran unsuccessfully against Wu last year . `` While deliberating this very important decision with my family , I was constantly thinking of the amazing people that gave their time and energy last year , '' Cornilles said . `` I thought of the people that gave up their Saturday mornings to walk in parades , the people that came in and made phone calls after work and on the weekend , and everyone that made a contribution to our campaign in their own special way . ''
NEW : A primary election will be November 8 and a general election , January 31 . A Republican businessman says he will run for the seat . The daughter of one of Wu 's fundraisers accused him of unwanted sexual advances . Wu postponed his formal resignation until after the debt-ceiling vote this week .