Washington (CNN) A Minnesota state representative suddenly ended his reelection campaign ahead of a Minnesota Public Radio report detailing allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior brought forward by his daughter.

Laura Knoblach told MPR News in a story published Friday that her father, Minnesota Republican Rep. Jim Knoblach, who represents the St. Cloud area, inappropriately touched her from the time she was 9 years old until she was 21.

In a statement on his re-election campaign website , the eight-term representative said his daughter "has been estranged from our family for some time" and called the allegations false.

"I love my children more than anything, and would never do anything to hurt them," the statement said. "Her allegations are false. I and other family members have made repeated attempts to reconcile with her in recent years, but she has refused.

"I could fight on for another six weeks to defend my reputation while running for re-election. But this would entail subjecting my wife, son, and elderly parents, as well as my daughter, to six weeks of extreme stress and scrutiny," the statement said. "I'm also not willing to spend six weeks fighting with my daughter in the media. As a result, I feel I have no choice but to effectively end my campaign today so that I can work towards healing my family."

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