Republicans up and down the ballot are acting bizarre– and for every weird moment at the top of the ticket, there are a dozen more featuring GOP state legislators.
WASHINGTON — As Republicans at the top of the GOP ticket continue to prove themselves to be just plain weird, out-of-touch, and extreme, state-level GOP legislators have a long record of doing the exact same, if not worse. Republican legislators are using their legislative power and platforms to obsess over limiting LGBTQ+ rights, restricting reproductive freedoms, and insulting members of marginalized communities– it’s bizarre and unnerving and it leads to dangerous and harmful policy proposals. GOP weirdness can only be shut down by Democratic power in the states.
Below are some examples of the weirdest moments for GOP legislators this year:
- Arizona Republican Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli went on a freakish rant chastising women as he denied the need to enshrine the right to contraceptives into state law saying people have “invented aspirin. Put it between your knees,” suggesting that women wouldn’t need access to contraception if they kept a pill bottle between their legs to stop them from having sex.
- Arizona GOP Sen. Justine Wadsack lost the endorsement of the Arizona police union after she criticized local police and accused them of “political persecution” after she was pulled over and cited for speeding for going 71 mph in a 35 mph zone.
- New Hampshire Rep. Jess Edwards recently referred to teenage girls as “ripe” and “fertile,” while defending child marriage. After receiving backlash for his gross comments, Rep. Edwards doubled down and refused to apologize to “haters.”
- New Hampshire GOP Rep. Jon Stone has been under fire for extreme homophobic, racist, and sexist remarks that he made while he was a police officer. It only gets worse– Stone also threatened a violent shooting spree against his fellow police officers and threatened to rape the chief’s wife and kill his children – findings that ended his career in law enforcement, but his tenure in the legislature continues.
- Michigan Rep. Josh Schriver amplified a racist conspiracy theory earlier this year and continued to defend his disturbing and offensive post even after he was stripped of committee assignments in the Michigan House.
- Another Michigan GOP lawmaker, Rep. Matt Maddock, falsely claimed that buses at the airport were bringing ‘illegal invaders’ into the state. Rep. Maddock’s claim wasn’t only weird and offensive, but wildly incorrect when it turned out those buses were carrying visiting teams for the NCAA tournament.
- Pennsylvania GOP House lawmakers proudly walked out on and booed two US Capitol Police Officers who defended the Capitol from a violent insurrection on January 6th.
- Finally, Vermont Republican Rep. Mary Morrissey was caught on video repeatedly pouring water into Democratic Rep. Jim Carroll’s bag over the course of five months. “Quite honestly, I don’t know why I did it,” she said in her apology.
These cringeworthy and oftentimes offensive moments are just snapshots of what Republican leadership looks like right now in the states. The MAGA agenda runs through the states, and so investing in Democrats’ efforts to build power in state legislatures is a critical way to defend our future.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley issued the following statement:
“State legislatures across the country are full of GOP legislators expressing extreme, out-of-step, and downright offensive viewpoints. For every weird moment at the top of the ticket, there are a dozen more in the states. While Republican state legislatures push culture wars and slash LGBTQ+ and reproductive freedoms, Democrats in state legislatures are fighting hard to protect our rights and freedoms. The DLCC has been pushing back on GOP nonsense in the states all year, and that work is going to continue all the way through election day. Our target map will shape the future for nearly 70 million Americans, and we must elect Democrats in the states who are focused on protecting the freedoms that people care about most.”
The DLCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in the states and setting the national agenda at the state level. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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