BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's embattled secretary of state, Tom Schedler, has submitted his letter of resignation following several state officials' calls for his resignation amid an ongoing sexual harassment scandal.

In March, Schedler told the press he would not seek re-election, but planned to fight the sexual harassment claims filed by a former employee. Despite initially saying he planned to finish out the remaining two years of his term, Schedler announced his resignation Tuesday.

"It is now time for me to make a difficult choice in the best interest of my family, my staff and the citizens of this state," Schedler's letter stated.

A lawsuit filed in February accused Schedler of sexually harassing an employee for years and punishing her after she rebuffed repeated advances. The secretary of state said he and the employee had a "consensual sexual relationship", but the woman's lawyer denied that claim.

Several state officials, including Governor John Bel Edwards, called for Schedler's resignation in the weeks after the lawsuit was filed.

“Given the serious nature of the allegations, in February, I called on Secretary of State Tom Schedler to resign," the governor said in a statement Monday. "In light of the additional information that has been disclosed, I believe this is the best course of action for Tom, his family, and the state of Louisiana.”

Schedler's resignation will take effect next Tuesday, May 8. His term would have ended on January 13, 2020.

You can read the full letter of resignation HERE.