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Caught Our Eye

GOP leads the way with state-legislator party defections

Posted by Keturah Hetrick on May 28, 2019

When Michigan Rep. Larry Inman was booted from the House GOP caucus last week, he became the seventh state legislator to change party affiliations so far this year.

Inman, who was federally indicted early this month on charges of extortion and solicitation of bribery, is one of five Republicans to leave the party. Of those, three - Iowa Rep. Andrew McKean, Calif Rep. Brian Maienschein and N.J. Sen. Dawn Addiego - now represent their constituents as Democrats. McKean and Maienschein both explicitly named President Donald Trump as the impetus for their switch. Only one GOP defector, Maine Rep. Donald Marean, is now an independent. Inman is not enrolled in a party now.

Democrats, meanwhile, have lost two members this year: Nick Bain announced his switch to the Republican Party in March; Bryce Edgmon, who caucused with Republicans despite officially working as a Democrat, dropped his party affiliation before being re-elected as Alaska House speaker in February.