Courser, Gamrat Out; Special Elections to be Held
The state House has voted to remove Cindy Gamrat from office, and Todd Courser resigned shortly after 3 a.m.
The Michigan House voted Friday morning to expel Rep. Cindy Gamrat (R-Plainwell) and accepted the resignation of Rep. Todd Courser (R-Lapeer). The lawmakers were accused of using taxpayer resources to cover up their extramarital affair. The House met Thursday to expel Courser and Gamrat, but failed to get the two-thirds majority vote necessary to remove them from office. About two dozen Democrats withheld their votes, saying they were unhappy with the way House Republican leaders handled the investigation. After GOP leaders agreed to refer the matter to the Michigan State Police, it appeared certain that they had enough votes to proceed with expulsion. Courser submitted his resignation shortly after 3:00 a.m., and 91 House members voted to expel Gamrat about an hour later. The Detroit Free Press reported that Governor Rick Snyder is expected to schedule special elections to replace Courser and Gamrat.
Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta reports that the scandal has embroiled the Legislature for weeks. Click on the audio player above to hear his report.
