No. 3 GOP leader in Arizona House says Rep. Shooter should resign or be expelled

PHOENIX — Parting ways with her own leadership, the No. 3 House Republican said Wednesday that she will vote to expel Rep. Don Shooter unless he resigns first.

Majority Whip Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, cited the report by an outside investigator made public Tuesday. It found “credible evidence of repeated and pervasive conduct” involving sexual harassment by the Yuma Republican against fellow lawmakers, lobbyists and others. Townsend, in a brief floor speech, said Shooter’s actions have “created a hostile working environment.”

She called on Shooter to resign, “effective immediately.”

“I make this request in the spirit of prevention to spare our colleagues from certain unpleasantry of having to vote for further action which will most certainly fracture and permanently stain this House,” Townsend said.

And if he does not quit when the House meets Thursday, Feb. 1, Townsend said she will make a motion to eject him “as there should be zero tolerance for undignified behavior here.”

Shooter was not on the floor when Townsend made her statement.

Speaking to Capitol Media Services later, Shooter would not comment specifically on Townsend’s call. But he did say he hopes to get the opportunity to address his colleagues, ahead of any vote Thursday, to make his case.

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Townsend’s call for Shooter to quit or be forced out comes a day after House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, said he will recommend that he be censured.

Mesnard said one reason for that conclusion is that most of the allegations that were found credible by the investigator occurred before last year, when Shooter was in the Senate before his election to the House.

Eviction takes 40 votes of the 60-member House chamber; a censure requires a simple majority.

It remains unclear whether there are the votes to have Shooter removed.

Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, whose allegations against Shooter of repeated harassment triggered the investigation, would not say on Wednesday how she intends to vote.

On Wednesday, House Minority Leader Rebecca Rios, D-Rios, said her caucus has yet to take a formal position on which course to support.

But Rios said she is counting on Republican lawmakers to “take care of their own problem.” She cited pressure that Democrats put on fellow lawmaker Daniel Patterson in 2012 to get him to resign after an independent investigation of his treatment of lobbyists and staffers, rather than face an expulsion vote.