These GOP lawmakers are facing backlash from state parties for not backing Trump
State Republican parties are taking action against GOP lawmakers who have reprimanded former President Donald Trump.
Some of the senators and representatives who voted in favor of Trump’s impeachment or conviction have been or are facing censure from their state party, underscoring the hold Trump continues to have over the Republican base.
Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican not seeking reelection who cast a guilty vote during Trump’s second trial, has faced consequences on a more local level. And county-level party organizations also reprimanded Michigan Reps. Fred Upton and Peter Meijer for their votes to impeach Trump in the House.
Here are other GOP lawmakers who have faced action by their state parties:
North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr
The North Carolina Republican Party voted Monday to censure Burr for his vote to convict the former President, even though the senator is not running for reelection.
Among his critics was the state party chairman, Michael Whatley, who called the senator’s decision “shocking and disappointing.”
Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy
Cassidy, who was one of the seven Republican senators to vote to convict Trump on Saturday, was soon censured by the Louisiana Republican Party after he cast his guilty vote.
The senator brushed off the party’s move, saying he was elected to “uphold an oath to support and defend the Constitution.”
“I’m attempting to hold President Trump accountable and that is the trust I have from the people that elected me and I’m very confident that as time passes, people will move to that position,” he said.
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney
Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, was censured by the Wyoming Republican Party earlier this month for after she voted along with nine other House Republicans to impeach Trump.
In its censure motion, the party called for Cheney to “immediately” resign and said it intends to “withhold any future political funding” from her. It also called on her to repay donations to her 2020 campaign from the state GOP and any county Republican Parties.
The censure motion came after Cheney, a lifelong ideological conservative, easily survived a challenge to her leadership position.
South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice
Rice, who was also among the group of House Republicans that voted to impeach Trump, was censured by the South Carolina Republican Party late last month for his vote.
“We made our disappointment clear the night of the impeachment vote. Trying to impeach a president, with a week left in his term, is never legitimate and is nothing more than a political kick on the way out the door,” party chairman Drew McKissick said in a statement.
Rice, whose vote in favor of impeachment was unexpected, said after on Twitter after he was censured that he has “been a strong and loyal supporter of the South Carolina Republican Party,” and “stood with them … and been in their corner through thick and thin.”
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse
Sasse was already facing a censure effort by the Nebraska Republican Party before his guilty vote.
The state party’s vote was postponed until March due to concerns over weather conditions in the state, but the senator has stood firm against party leaders who have criticized his anti-Trump positions.
“Let’s be clear: The anger in this state party has never been about me violating principle or abandoning conservative policy — I’m one of the most conservative voters in the Senate — the anger’s always been simply about me not bending the knee to one guy,” Sasse said earlier this month.
This story has been updated with additional developments Monday.
