A Michigan county’s Republican Party voted to censure Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) for his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump earlier this month.
During the Allegan County Republican Convention, members voted Jan. 21 “censure and condemn” Upton in a unanimous vote, according to a statement, adding that Upton “ignored the voice of his voters in Allegan County” by voting for Trump’s impeachment.
“The unanimous voice vote was confirmed during a meeting of the Executive Committee immediately following the convention by another unanimous voice vote,” the group said. “The AGOP Issues Committee is charged with making recommendations for further action.”
Upton represents Allegan County, which is part of Michigan’s 6th Congressional District.
Upton, in response, said, “I always said I’d support President Trump when I agreed with him and disagree when I thought he was wrong. Congress should not tolerate any effort to impede the peaceful transfer of power.
“I’ve gone to bat for southwest Michigan every day I’ve been in Congress, bringing jobs, economic growth, and opportunities to our region of the state. And that is exactly what I’m going to keep doing.”
Upton “has been making calls and reaching out to local party folks to listen to them and hear them, knowing they might disagree with his stance, but to move forward, this should be a party that can include a lot of different opinions, ideas, and viewpoints,” according to Upton’s communications director Josh Paciorek.
Upton’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
The move to censure Upton comes amid a growing backlash against the 10 Republicans who voted with Democrats to impeach Trump.
Members of the House alleged Trump incited violence during his speech before a group breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. For his part, Trump condemned the rioters and violence, while asserting that his speech was fine. A number of Republicans in Congress have backed his assertions, with an increasing number of GOP senators saying that it’s not constitutional to conduct an impeachment trial of a president who isn’t in office any longer.
Meanwhile, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and member of the House Republican leadership, has perhaps faced the most significant criticism from her own party after she voted to impeach.
Cheney now has a challenger after Wyoming GOP state Sen. Anthony Bouchard announced last week that he will run against her, noting Trump’s massive victory margin in Wyoming and Cheney’s “long-time opposition” to the former president.
“Wyoming taxpayers need a voice in Congress who will stand up to Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats, and not give them cover. That’s why I’m running for Congress,” Bouchard said in a statement.
