In a historic vote, for only the sixth time in history, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to expel one of its own members, U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), for alleged ethical and campaign finance violations.
Santos, the first out gay Republican elected to Congress as a non-incumbent, had predicted his ouster despite mounting a vigorous defense of himself during debate on the floor of the House.
Santos, who faces 23 federal criminal charges, has claimed that the House Ethics Committee rushed its investigation into allegations against him, with the intent of reaching a predetermined conclusion that he was guilty of wrongdoing.
Despite concerns from some lawmakers over the precedent that voting to expel a member who has not yet been convicted might set, and opposition from Republican House leadership, 105 Republicans — or almost half the caucus — voted with 206 Democrats to remove Santos from office.
The Republican members voting for expulsion were:
Robert Aderholt, Alabama (North-Central Alabama)
Rick Allen, Georgia (Augusta, Eastern Georgia)
Mark Amodei, Nevada (Reno, Northern Nevada)
Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota
Troy Balderson, Ohio (Central Ohio)
Andy Barr, Kentucky (Lexington, Central Kentucky)
Cliff Bentz, Oregon (Southern and Eastern Oregon)
Jack Bergman, Michigan (Upper Peninsula)
Don Bacon, Nebraska (Metro Omaha)
Stephanie Bice, Oklahoma (Oklahoma City Metro)
Ken Buck, Colorado (Eastern Plains)
Larry Bucshon, Indiana (Terre Haute, Evansville)
Michael Burgess, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth exurbs)
Ken Calvert, California (Riverside, Palm Springs)
Mike Carey, Ohio (Columbus Metro, Western Ohio)
Buddy Carter, Georgia (Savannah, Costal Georgia)
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon (Bend, Willamette Valley)
Juan Ciscomani, Arizona (Tucson, Southeast Arizona)
Tom Cole, Oklahoma (Southwestern Oklahoma)
James Comer, Kentucky (Western Kentucky)
Dan Crenshaw, Texas (Suburban Houston)
John Curtis, Utah (Eastern Utah)
Anthony D’Esposito, New York (Long Island)
Monica De La Cruz, Texas (Rio Grande Valley, South Texas)
Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida (Miami-Dade County, Southwestern Florida)
Steve Womack, Arkansas (Rogers, Fayetteville, Fort Smith)
Rudy Yakym III, Indiana (South Bend, North-Central Indiana)
Ryan Zinke, Montana (Glacier Country, Southwest Montana)
On the other side of the aisle, only four Democrats voted against expelling Santos.
Reps. Nikema Williams (Ga.) and Bobby Scott (Va.) voted against expelling the congressman, while Reps. Jonathan Jackson (Ill.) and Al Green (Texas) voted “present.”
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for Virginia governor, has released a new ad attacking her Republican rival, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, for claiming during a recent debate that firing someone for being gay -- or for opposing same-sex marriage -- does not amount to "discrimination."
Titled "That's Not Discrimination," the ad focuses on Earle-Sears' long record of opposing LGBTQ rights throughout her two-decade political career.
It mixes clips from Earle-Sears' contentious debate with Spanberger at Norfolk State University with a news report about how Earle-Sears penned a handwritten note on a bill she was required to sign -- a procedural duty of her role as Virginia's lieutenant governor and presiding officer of the Senate -- expressing her moral opposition to same-sex marriage.
Gay New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who is also seeking re-election to his Council seat, recently filed paperwork to run for New York's 12th Congressional District, currently represented by longtime Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler.
Nadler announced last month that he won't seek an eighteenth term, opening the door for a wave of younger Democrats to vie for the safely blue seat.
Although Bottcher, 46, has yet to officially announce his campaign, he shattered a state record within 24 hours of filing, raising $683,241.26 -- the largest first-day total ever for a single candidate in New York.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, an out lesbian, is threatening to sue House Speaker Mike Johnson for refusing to seat a duly elected Democratic congresswoman from her state.
In an October 14 letter to Johnson, Mayes accused the House Republican leader of violating the U.S. Constitution by delaying the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva. Grijalva won a September 23 special election to replace her father, Raúl, who represented Tucson and southern Arizona in Congress for more than two decades.
Mayes noted that during Johnson's tenure as speaker, he swore in five new members -- four of them Republicans -- "at the earliest opportunity." That included two GOP special election winners who were sworn in earlier this year while the House was in recess, according to The New York Times.
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