90 state lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct since 2017

Since the start of 2017, The Associated Press has tallied at least 90 state lawmakers who have faced public allegations or repercussions over sexual misconduct claims. Most of those cases became public since the #MeToo movement gained momentum in October 2017, although some of the incidents allegedly occurred several years ago.

Here is a look at those lawmakers who have resigned or been removed from office, faced discipline or other repercussions such as the loss of committee leadership positions, or had accusations made against them. Some ultimately were cleared.

RESIGNED OR REMOVED FROM OFFICE

1. Alaska: Rep. Dean Westlake, D, submitted resignation letter Dec. 15, 2017, after being accused by several women of inappropriate behaviour.

2. Alaska: Rep. Zach Fansler, D, resigned effective Feb. 12, 2018, after being accused of slapping a woman hard enough to rupture her eardrum during a sexual encounter after a night of drinking. He pleaded guilty June 21 to a misdemeanour harassment charge.

3. Arizona: Rep. Don Shooter, R, expelled from office Feb. 1, 2018, by an overwhelming House vote after an investigation substantiated a lengthy pattern of sexual harassment toward women, including a fellow lawmaker. Shooter lost a comeback bid in an Aug. 28 Republican state Senate primary.

4. California: Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, D, resigned effective Jan. 1, 2018, after a lobbyist said he pushed her into a bathroom during a Las Vegas social event and engaged in lewd behaviour in front of her. A lawyer hired by the Legislature substantiated the claims following an investigation. A legislative panel denied his appeal Aug. 24. Dababneh has sued his accuser for defamation.

5. California: Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D, resigned in November 2017 after allegations that he had kissed or groped multiple women without their consent.

6. California: Sen. Tony Mendoza, D, resigned Feb. 22, 2018, after an investigation found he likely engaged in unwanted “flirtatious or sexually suggestive” behaviour with six women, including four subordinates, a lobbyist and a young woman in a fellowship with another lawmaker.

7. California: Sen. Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, D, resigned Dec. 27, 2017, citing unspecified health reasons after sexual harassment complaints were filed against him. A report by an outside investigator hired by the Assembly, which was publicly released Jan. 16, 2019, substantiated complaints that Ridley-Thomas had kissed an employee, held her hand and called her several times after she made it clear she wasn’t interested in 2016.

8. Colorado: Rep. Steve Lebsock, D, expelled from office March 2, 2018, by an overwhelming House vote after an independent investigator determined there were credible claims he had harassed five women, including a fellow lawmaker. Elected as a Democrat, Lebsock changed his party affiliation to Republican on the day he was expelled.

9. Connecticut: Rep. Angel Arce, D, resigned effective April 9, 2018, after the Hartford Courant reported that he had sent affectionate text messages to a 16-year-old girl in 2015.

10 Florida: Sen. Jack Latvala, R, resigned effective Jan. 5, 2018, following allegations of sexual misconduct raised by multiple women. A prosecutor said in July that there was insufficient evidence to charge Latvala with trading sexual favours with a former lobbyist in order to help pass legislation. The Senate agreed in December to pay $900,000 to settle a complaint filed by a legislative aide accusing Latvala of sexual misconduct.

11. Florida: Sen. Jeff Clemens, D, resigned in Oct. 27, 2017, shortly after a news report that he had extramarital affair with a lobbyist. The House speaker had said that because a lobbyist is dependent on legislators, “the facts here raise a very real question of sexual harassment.”

12. Hawaii: Rep. Joseph Souki, D, agreed March 21, 2018, to resign by the end of the month as part of a State Ethics Commission settlement of allegations that he sexually harassed multiple women by subjecting them to unwanted kissing, touching and sexual language. The settlement also called for him to pay $5,000 to the state, make a public apology and not seek office for two years.

13. Idaho: Rep. Brandon Hixon, R, resigned Oct. 19, 2017, while under criminal investigation for molesting two girls, including a young female relative for more than 10 years. Killed himself on Jan. 9, 2018, shortly before his ex-wife and two others were to testify to a grand jury.

14. Illinois Rep. Nick Sauer, R, resigned Aug. 1, 2018, after an ex-girlfriend claimed Sauer had posted nude photos of her on a fake social media account under her name. Sauer had been a member of the House Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Task Force. Indicted Jan. 9, 2019, on 12 felony counts of disseminating private sexual images involving two people.

15. Iowa Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix, R, resigned March 12, 2018, after a website published video of the married lawmaker kissing a lobbyist at a bar. Though the Senate’s ethics code didn’t explicitly prohibit lawmaker-lobbyist relationships, it said senators should strive to avoid “the appearance of unethical” conduct, and some have raised questions about whether their relationship affected legislation.

16. Maine: Rep. Dillon Bates, D, resigned Aug. 20, 2018, a little over two weeks after a media report claimed that he had romantic relationships with female students while working as a teacher and coach. Bates also resigned from coaching and teaching positions.

17. Massachusetts: Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D, resigned May 4, 2018, after a Senate ethics report concluded he failed to protect the Senate from his husband, Bryon Hefner, who was indicted on sexual assault charges. Rosenberg had stepped aside in December 2017 from his leadership position because of the investigation into allegations that his husband sexually abused several men, including some who had dealings with the Legislature.

18. Minnesota: Sen. Dan Schoen, D, resigned effective Dec. 15, 2017, following several allegations from women.

19. Minnesota: Rep. Tony Cornish, R, resigned effective Nov. 30, 2017, following several allegations, including from a lobbyist who said he repeatedly propositioned her for sex.

20. Mississippi: Rep. John Moore, R, resigned in December 2017 after multiple women made complaints against him; the House speaker’s office said he had been facing an investigation led by an outside lawyer.

21. Nevada: Sen. Mark Manendo, D, resigned in July 2017 after a law firm concluded that he violated the Legislature’s anti-harassment policy and behaved inappropriately toward female staffers and lobbyists.

22. Ohio: Sen. Clifford Hite, R, resigned Oct. 16, 2017, after being accused of sexually harassing a female state employee.

23. Ohio: Rep. Wes Goodman, R, resigned Nov. 15, 2018, after the married lawmaker acknowledged having a sexual encounter in his office with another man; the House speaker said Goodman had engaged in “inappropriate behaviour related to his state office.”

24. Oklahoma: Rep. Dan Kirby, R, resigned in February 2017 after two former assistants alleged he sexually harassed them, including one with whom he had reached a confidential wrongful-termination settlement that included a $44,500 payment from House funds.

25. Oklahoma: Sen. Ralph Shortey, R, resigned in March 2017 and later pleaded guilty to a federal charge of child sex trafficking after being accused of hiring a 17-year-old boy for sex. Sentenced on Sept. 17, 2018, to 15 years in prison and ordered on Jan. 31, 2019, to pay $125,000 in restitution

26. Oklahoma: Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R, resigned in September 2017 after being charged with sexual battery for allegedly groping an Uber driver who picked him up from a restaurant in the capital city.

27. Oregon: Sen. Jeff Kruse, R, resigned effective March 15, 2018, after an investigation determined he had harassed women in the Capitol with prolonged hugging, groping and other unwelcome physical contact.

28. Rhode Island: Sen. Nicholas Kettle, R, resigned Feb. 22, 2018, after Senate leaders introduced a resolution to expel him after he was charged the previous week with extorting a male page for sex on two occasions in 2011 and with video voyeurism that involved trading nude photos of his ex-girlfriend and a New Hampshire woman without their consent

29. South Dakota: Rep. Mathew Wollmann, R, resigned in January 2017 after admitting to sexual contact with two interns, which a legislative panel said was a violation of rules.

30. Tennessee: Rep. Mark Lovell, R, resigned in February 2017 as a House ethics panel concluded that he had violated the Legislature’s sexual harassment policy.

31. Utah: Rep. Jon Stanard, R, resigned Feb. 6, 2018, citing “personal and family concerns,” shortly before media reports that Stanard had been reimbursed with taxpayer funds for at least two hotel stays in 2017 during which he allegedly met up with a prostitute

32. Washington: Sen. Kevin Ranker, D, resigned Jan. 12, 2019, amid an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and hostile workplace issues raised by a woman who worked as a legislative assistant for him during the 2010 session. Released weeks after he left office, the investigation by an outside law firm found that Ranker sexually harassed the woman and created a hostile work environment for her once she left to work for a state agency.

33. Washington: Rep. Matt Manweller, R, resigned effective Jan. 14, 2019, after allegations of a relationship with a former high school student in the 1990s and of sexual harassment at Central Washington University, where he was fired Aug. 14, 2018, from his job as a political science professor. Manweller had won re-election in November while pledging he would not continue to serve. He stepped down as assistant floor leader and was removed as ranking member of a House committee in December 2017 after allegations surfaced.

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OTHER REPERCUSSIONS

1. Alaska: Sen. David Wilson, R, placed on probation and disciplined in December 2017 by Senate leaders after a review found he engaged in retaliation as he defended himself against sexual harassment allegations.

2. Alaska: Rep. Justin Parish, D, directed to undergo additional sexual harassment training after a sexual harassment complaint in February 2018 outlined a series of unwanted flirting, touching and phone calls to a woman.

3. Arizona: Rep. David Stinger, R, removed Jan. 30, 2019, from his only House committee assignment pending a House Ethics Committee investigation. The Phoenix New Times reported Jan. 25, 2019, that Stinger had been charged and sentenced in 1983 in Maryland for a sex offence, which had since been expunged. A fellow Republican lawmaker filed an ethics complaint against Stinger, who had also faced criticism previously for remarks on race and immigration.

4. California: Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D, removed from all legislative committees May 18, 2018, and required to attend sensitivity and sexual harassment policy training after outside investigators determined she used vulgar language in violation of the chamber’s sexual harassment policy. The investigation initially cleared her of allegedly groping a former legislative staff member in 2014, but legislative leaders reopened the case in June after her accuser appealed. In November, an investigator said Garcia had been “overly familiar” with the staffer but said there wasn’t enough evidence to substantiate the groping claim and said Garcia did not retaliate against him for filing a complaint.

5. California: Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D, formally reprimanded March 8, 2018, by the Senate Rules Committee and told not to hug people anymore after an investigation concluded that his frequent embraces made multiple female colleagues uncomfortable.

6. California: Assemblyman Devon Mathis, R, required to participate in sensitivity training and additional sexual harassment training after an investigation concluded June 20, 2018, that he “frequently engaged in sexual ‘locker room talk.'” The investigation found a separate sexual misconduct claim was unsubstantiated. Mathis was sued in April by a former staffer alleging wrongful firing after complaining about sexual misconduct, discrimination and misuse of state resources. Another former staffer sued in May alleging various forms of harassment

7. California: Sen. Joel Anderson, R, reprimanded Sept. 24, 2018, after an investigation into a complaint that he had rubbed the shoulders of a lobbyist and threatened to slap her while he was “somewhat inebriated” during an encounter in August at a restaurant across from the Capitol.

8. Colorado: Rep. Paul Rosenthal, D, suspended as vice chair of a legislative committee in November 2017 after being accused of groping a political activist during his first campaign for a House seat in 2012. Complaint was dismissed Jan. 4, 2018, apparently because the alleged incident took place before he was elected, but Rosenthal was subsequently permanently removed from his committee leadership post.

9. Colorado: Sen. Randy Baumgartner, R, removed from committee posts May 3, 2018, after an independent investigator found credible claims that he had created a hostile work environment during the 2016 session. Baumgartner had stepped down as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 13 and agreed to undergo sensitivity training after media reports alleged that he groped a legislative aide in 2016. An April 2 Senate vote to expel Baumgartner failed.

10. Illinois: Sen. Ira Silverstein, D, resigned in November 2017 as majority caucus chairman after a victims’ rights advocate publicly accused him of sending inappropriate messages to her; a legislative inspector general recommended in January that Silverstein receive counselling from the Senate’s ethics officer but said his inappropriate comments did not constitute sexual harassment. Silverstein, a state senator since 1999, lost in the Democratic primary March 20, 2018.

11. Illinois: Rep. Lou Lang, D, resigned as deputy House minority leader May 31, 2018, less than an hour after a medical marijuana activist accused him of sexual harassment and verbal abuse during interactions over the past four years related to legislation. A legislative inspector general said in September there was insufficient proof Lang had harassed her. Lang announced Jan. 7, 2019, that he had resigned his seat to join a lobbying firm.

12. Iowa: Sen. Nate Boulton, D, suspended his campaign for governor May 24, 2018, a day after The Des Moines Register reported that three women alleged he touched them inappropriately several years ago. A woman filed an ethics complaint against him Nov. 17 alleging he inappropriately touched her at a bar in 2015, before he won election. The Senate Ethics Committee dismissed the complaint Dec. 20 for lack of jurisdiction.

13. Kentucky: Sen. Julian Carroll, D, removed in July 2017 as the minority whip for Senate Democrats after he was accused of groping a man in 2005.

14. Kentucky: House Speaker Jeff Hoover, R, resigned from his leadership post Jan. 8, 2018, after secretly settling a sexual harassment complaint with a female legislative aide and acknowledging he sent inappropriate text messages to her. Agreed on April 10 to a $1,000 fine and a public reprimand to settle a Legislative Ethics Commission investigation into the matter. Hoover won re-election in November. He and two other lawmakers sued the woman on Jan. 31, 2019, demanding she repay $110,000 she received in the settlement after allegedly violating its confidentiality clause.

15. Kentucky: Rep. Jim DeCesare, R, removed from a legislative committee chairmanship in November 2017 after signing a secret sexual harassment settlement stemming from a text message sent to a woman. A state ethics commission voted April 3 to dismiss a complaint against him. DeCesare did not seek re-election. He and two other lawmakers sued the woman on Jan. 31, 2019, demanding she repay $110,000 she received in the settlement after allegedly violating its confidentiality clause.

16. Kentucky: Rep. Brian Linder, R, removed from a legislative committee chairmanship in November 2017 after signing a secret sexual harassment settlement stemming from a text message sent to a woman. A state ethics commission voted April 3 to dismiss a complaint against him. Lindor did not seek re-election.

17. Kentucky: Rep. Michael Meredith, R, removed from a legislative committee chairmanship in November 2017 after signing a secret sexual harassment settlement stemming from a vulgar statement to a woman. A state ethics commission voted April 3 to dismiss a complaint against him. Meredith won re-election in November 2018 and was restored in December as chairman of the House Local Government Committee. He and two other lawmakers sued the woman on Jan. 31, 2019, demanding she repay $110,000 she received in the settlement after allegedly violating its confidentiality clause.

18. Maryland: Del. Curt Anderson, D, removed from leadership positions as deputy whip and chairman of a subcommittee on criminal justice on Aug. 24, 2018, after an investigation by a legislative ethics panel into allegations of sexual assault, unwanted kissing and inappropriate comments. The panel also recommended he go through “intensive harassment awareness and prevention training.” A panel report released Sept. 7 said it couldn’t resolve conflicting accounts of an alleged 2004 sexual assault of a legislative staffer but found Anderson violated the anti-harassment policy in other instances.

19. Minnesota: Rep. Jim Knoblach, R, ended his re-election campaign Sept. 21, 2018, after allegations by his adult daughter that he had inappropriately touched her on numerous occasions over many years.

20. New Hampshire: Rep. Eric Schleien, R, sentenced on Nov. 9, 2018, to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty in October to misdemeanour assault involving a 16-year-old girl. Police documents said Schleien approached the teen at a cafe in July 2016 and suggested he could introducer her to other politicians. While later driving with her, the girl said Schleien engaged in sexually explicit talk and groped her.

21. New Mexico: Sen. Michael Padilla, D, ousted in December 2017 as Democratic majority whip by the caucus after decade-old allegations that he had sexually harassed women in a prior job. Padilla also dropped out of the lieutenant governor’s race.

22. New Mexico: Rep. Carl Trujillo, D, defeated in the June 5, 2018, Democratic primary while fighting allegations of sexual misconduct. A report released by a special counsel in July backed up allegations by a former lobbyist of inappropriate advances toward her in 2013 and 2014. But a sexual harassment case was dismissed Nov. 28 after the woman decided not to testify to a House ethics subcommittee.

23. New York: Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin, R, formally sanctioned in November 2017 by a legislative ethics panel after allegations that he asked a female legislative staffer for nude photos and leaked her name when she filed a harassment complaint.

24. North Carolina: Rep. Duane Hall, D, defeated in the May 8, 2018, Democratic primary by first-time candidate Allison Dahle after rejecting calls to resign because of a media report in which people alleged Hall used sexual innuendo and made unwanted sexual advances. Hall admitted to inappropriately kissing one woman but denied harassment allegations.

25. Oklahoma: Rep. Will Fourkiller, D, advised in February 2017 to get sensitivity training and blocked from interacting with the Legislature’s page program for a year after being accused of making inappropriate comments to a high school page in 2015.

26. Pennsylvania: Sen. Daylin Leach, D, announced in December 2017 that he would “step back” from his campaign for a congressional seat after allegations that he behaved inappropriately toward female employees and campaign aides. Announced in February 2018 that he would not run. In January 2019, the Senate Democratic caucus hired a law firm to look in to a woman’s claim that Leach had coerced her into a sex act in 1991 when she was age 17 and he was a 30-year-old attorney defending her mother in a criminal case. Leach sued the woman and two others for defamation. A Democratic lawmaker has circulated a letter calling for Leach’s expulsion.

27. Pennsylvania: Rep. Nick Miccarelli, R, had a three-year protective order issued against him by a judge on March 15, 2018, requiring him to stay away from state Rep. Tarah Toohill after she accused Miccarelli of being physically abusive during a relationship that ended in 2012 and physically intimidating to her at the Capitol this year. A prosecutor confirmed on March 2 that Miccarelli was under investigation for allegations that he sexually assaulted one woman in 2014. The prosecutor said Dec. 21 that he was closing the investigation into the alleged 2014 assault at the request of the political consultant who had filed a complaint against him.

28. Pennsylvania: Rep. Brian Ellis, R, removed as chairman of the House Consumer Affairs Committee on Jan. 25, 2019, after The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Caucus newspapers reported that a prosecutor had opened a criminal investigation into allegations that Ellis had sex with an incapacitated woman without her consent in 2015.

29. Rhode Island: Rep. Cale Keable, D, removed as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Oct. 29, 2018, after a months-old email surfaced in which Democratic Rep. Katherine Kazarian accused him of sexual harassment. Keable was defeated in the Nov. 6 election.

30. Washington: Rep. David Sawyer, D, suspended on May 9, 2018, as chairman of the House Commerce and Gaming Committee. Resigned chairmanship after a summary of an outside investigation released June 11 said Sawyer sent a House employee multiple “inappropriate and offensive” text messages and violated House policies on harassment, decorum and ethics. Media previously reported that several women accused Sawyer of inappropriate behaviour toward them both before and after he first was elected in 2012. Lost re-election in the Democratic primary; registered as a lobbyist for the 2019 session. Fined $1,000 by the Legislative Ethics Board, which said in a Jan. 29, 2019, report that Sawyer had improperly required his staff to discuss issues related to the harassment allegations against him.

31. Washington: Senate Minority Leader Joe Fain, R, defeated in the Nov. 6, 2018, election after being accused on Sept. 27 by a woman of raping her in 2007. A Senate committee initially decided to hire an outside investigator, but legislative leaders decided in December not to move forward with the investigation. The woman, Candace Faber, posted her allegations on Twitter while saying she was inspired to speak out while watching a televised U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which Christine Blasey Ford testified that she had been sexually assaulted by U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the early 1980s when they were both high school students.

32. Wisconsin: Rep. Josh Zepnick, D, removed from legislative committees in December 2017 after being accused of kissing two women against their will at political events several years ago. Defeated in the Aug. 14 Democratic primary by attorney Marisabel Cabrera.

33. Wisconsin: Rep. Rob Brooks, R, resigned as assistant Assembly majority leader Sept. 26, 2018, while acknowledging he made “stupid comments while under the influence of alcohol” to three female lawmakers. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that included sexual comments to two lawmakers and a racially insensitive remark to another after a July event involving the Republican caucus.

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OTHER ALLEGATIONS

1. California: Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, D, included in sexual misconduct complaint records released Feb. 2, 2018, for participating in an inappropriate discussion about anal sex. She was notified of the complaint in February 2017.

2. California: Assemblyman Travis Allen, R, included in sexual misconduct complaint records released Feb. 2, 2018, for being accused of inappropriately touching a female staff member in early 2013. Allen did not seek re-election and lost in the June 2018 gubernatorial primary.

3. Colorado: Sen. Jack Tate, R, determined by an independent investigator to have likely made inappropriate comments and flirtatiously touched an intern in 2017 as alleged in a complaint. But Senate President Kevin Grantham closed the investigation March 29, 2018, after determining the alleged actions didn’t reach the level of sexual misconduct.

4. Colorado: Sen. Larry Crowder, R, accused by state Rep. Susan Lontine of pinching her buttocks in 2015 and making an inappropriate sexual comment to her in August 2017. Lontine went public with her allegations on Feb. 8, 2018, while noting that she had filed a confidential complaint against Crowder in November 2017.

5. Georgia: Sen. David Shafer, R, cleared of sexual harassment allegations April 13, 2018, by the Senate Ethics Committee, which cited a review by an independent attorney concluding that allegations of sexual harassment brought by a lobbyist were more likely fabricated than true.

6. Idaho: Rep. James Holtzclaw, R, accused in a complaint of making inappropriate comments to at least two people during the 2017 session.

7. Indiana: House Speaker Brian Bosma, R, mentioned in an Oct. 10, 2018, story in The Indianapolis Star in which a woman said she performed oral sex on him while she was a legislative intern in 1992. The woman told the paper the act was consensual, but she felt pressured into it. The newspaper reported that Bosma paid a law firm more than $40,000 in campaign funds in 2018, partly to gather unflattering information about the former intern.

8. Kentucky: Rep. Dan Johnson, R, killed himself in December 2017, just days after being publicly accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2013.

9. Kentucky: Rep. Jim Stewart, R, accused in a memo publicized in March 2018 of having a formal complaint filed against him in 2015 for allegedly making “unwanted verbal advances” on a female courier in the Capitol

10. Massachusetts: Rep. Paul McMurtry, D, accused by several lawmakers in a Jan. 16, 2019, story in the Boston Globe of grabbing the backside of a newly elected female lawmaker during a Dec. 13 reception for new lawmakers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The House speaker said a special committee is investigating reports of inappropriate conduct during the event but did identify anyone.

11. Minnesota: Rep. Rod Hamilton, R, apologized April 26, 2018, for what he said was a well-intentioned effort to comfort a woman while denying allegations of sexual misconduct made by the woman, who says he touched her without consent

12. Missouri: Rep. Joshua Peters, D, warned in February 2017 that any further complaints of inappropriate language or behaviour would be dealt with more severely as the House Ethics Committee dismissed a sexual harassment complaint brought against him by state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal.

13. New Hampshire Sen. Andy Sanborn, R, cleared in June 2018 by the state attorney general’s office of allegations that a Senate intern had been paid to keep quiet about an inappropriate comment made by Sanborn in 2013. Documents released by the office suggest Sanborn was temporarily not allowed to have an aide after initially declining to participate in sexual harassment training. Sanborn lost a Republican primary for a U.S. House seat on Sept. 11.

14. New York: Sen. Jeff Klein, D, accused in January 2018 of sexual harassment in 2015 for allegedly forcibly kissing a former Independent Democratic Conference staff member who has asked for an investigation by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

15. Ohio: Rep. Rick Perales, R, acknowledged in March 2018 that he engaged in “flirtatious and inappropriate texting” with constituent Jocelyn Smith in 2015 but denied accusations that he forcibly kissed and choked her. Perales filed a criminal extortion complaint against Smith on April 3. Smith challenged Perales in the May 8 Republican primary but lost. She pleaded guilty Jan. 29, 2019, to a misdemeanour charge of coercion related to her tactics.

16. Ohio: Rep. Bill Seitz, R, compelled by the House speaker to issue a personal and public apology for reportedly making offensive remarks, including jokes about other sexual misconduct scandals, during a Jan. 23, 2018, going-away party for a House staff member. Cleared of sexual harassment in April by an outside investigation conducted by a law firm where Seitz previously worked. An ethics complaint has been filed against the firm alleging a conflict of interest.

17. Ohio: Sen. Matt Huffman, R, issued a public apology for reportedly making offensive remarks, including a suggestive reference to female genitalia, during a Jan. 23, 2018, going-away party for a House staff member.

18. Ohio: Rep. Michael Henne, R, mentioned in House documents about harassment allegations released in November 2017 as having been required to undergo sensitivity training and temporarily losing a committee vice chairmanship in 2015 after a female state employee complained he had made inappropriate comments to a group.

19. Oregon: Rep. David Gomberg, D, mentioned in a Jan. 3, 2019, report by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries as having been accused of inappropriate touching and making sexualized comments in 2013.

20. Oregon: Rep. Bill Post, R, mentioned in a Jan. 3, 2019, report by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries as having been accused of touching a female staffer’s leg under a table while they were at a bar in 2017 and making inappropriate comments to her.

21. Pennsylvania: Rep. Tom Caltagirone, D, faced calls by Gov. Tom Wolf to resign after reports in December 2017 that House Democrats authorized paying about $250,000 to settle a sexual harassment claim from a legislative assistant against Caltagirone in 2015.

22. Tennessee: Rep. David Byrd, R, accused by three women in a media report March 27, 2018, of sexual misconduct as their high school basketball coach several decades ago. Byrd won re-election in November and was appointed as the chairman of House education administration subcommittee in January.

23. Texas: Sen. Borris Miles, D, accused in a December 2017 report by the Daily Beast of sexually propositioning an intern in 2013 when Miles was a state House member. Miles refused calls to resign from a group that backs female Democratic candidates.

24. Texas: Sen. Charles Schwertner, R, accused in September 2018 of sending a sexually explicit image and text message to a University of Texas graduate student he had met at a campus event during the summer. A university report released in December concluded Schwertner didn’t violate school policies but added that he didn’t fully co-operate in an investigation. The report said an attorney told investigators that the messages were sent by an undisclosed person who had access to Schwertner’s account.

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Source: Reporting by AP state government reporters throughout the country.

The Associated Press