Mentioning his political affiliation is relevant because some of his fellow republicans went after the victim.
from the link in the OP:
"Doe, for her part, was targeted by von Ehlinger’s fellow Republicans from the get-go. Last August, Rep. Priscilla Giddings, a Republican from the tiny town of White Bird,
exposed Doe’s identity on social media and in an email to constituents, with right-wing blogs subsequently posting Doe’s name and photo online."
That seems to be a pretty loathsome act by a public official.