I'm sure that with the events this week this is exactly what the people of this district wanted.
The Dem'crats had done a serious job of opposition research on this one, and they knew the facts well in advance of this bombshell being dropped. An honorable rival for the office would have called up months ago, and let Foley know this would be used, would he be willing to step aside now? Even Foley's campaign managers should have been aware of the potential for trouble.
Foley knew. He thought he could tough it out, if any of this became public. If he were a Dem'crat, and not a Republican, this sort of thing might even have been a resume enhancement. He should have been discussing this six months ago, and "taken retirement" much earlier.
But shoulda, coulda, woulda, mean zilch when you get turned out by the opposition. Consider this a hard lesson well learned, and beware the residual power that even a political party in a serious state of decline, like the Dem'crats, can still muster. Like a dying rattlesnake, their venom is still deadly.