Six of the seven Republican senators who voted to convict former President Donald Trump are facing censures from state Republican Parties, Business Insider reports.
The North Carolina Republican Party on Monday voted unanimously to censure retiring Sen. Richard Burr for his vote.
"We felt it was important for the party to make a statement that we disagree with the vote," North Carolina Republican chairman Michael Whatley said. "The overwhelming sentiment was disapproval of the senator's vote."
Burr said in a statement that the censure marked a “truly sad day” for the party.
"My party's leadership has chosen loyalty to one man over the core principles of the Republican Party and the founders of our great nation,” he said.
The Louisiana GOP also publicly censured Sen. Bill Cassidy on the same day as his vote.
Several country Republican Parties in Pennsylvania have also censured Sen. Pat Toomey.
Cassidy just won his re-election in November while Burr and Toomey have already announced they will retire from the Senate after this term.
Others face rebukes:
Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski are both facing potential censures from the Maine and Alaska GOPs, respectively. The Nebraska GOP threatened to censure Sen. Ben Sasse even before he voted to convict Trump.
"Let's be clear: The anger in this state party has never been about me violating principle or abandoning conservative policy — I'm one of the most conservative voters in the Senate — the anger's always been simply about me not bending the knee to one guy," Sasee said over the weekend.
"Let's be clear about why this is happening,” he added. “It's because I still believe — as you used to — that politics isn't about the weird worship of one dude."
Romney avoids censure:
Despite a petition among Republican lawmakers to censure Sen. Mitt Romney, and the fact that Romney voted to convict Trump not once but twice, the Utah senator will not be censured over his vote, according to the state GOP.
“Our senators have both been criticized for their vote,” the party said in a statement. “The differences between our own Utah Republicans showcase a diversity of thought… There is power in our differences as a political party and we look forward to each senator explaining their votes to the people of Utah.”
“Disagreement is natural and health in a party that is based on principles -- not on persona,” the statement said, adding that “we look neither to the past, nor to be punitive.”
