GOP’s Debbie Lesko sworn in as new House member
WASHINGTON Arizona’s 8th Congressional District finally has a new representative in Congress, five months after ex-Rep.Trent Franks vacated the seat amid sexual-harassment allegations.
Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko took the oath of office Monday after winning last month’s special election to replace Franks, also a Republican.
“Thank you so much, I’ve lost my voice from the allergies here in Washington, D.C. But I’m truly honored to be here,” a raspy-voiced Lesko said to her new House colleagues in her first time speaking to Congress. “I look forward to working with you and I want to say to my constituents at home, thank you so much for the privilege of your vote and for sending me here to Congress.”
Rep. Paul Gosar, Lesko’s GOP colleague from Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, said in introducing the new congresswoman, “I look forward to working together with our newest colleague to find common sense solutions to the problems our nation faces.”
“Very cool, this is exciting,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said earlier in the evening during the ceremonial swearing in with Lesko’s family. The real ceremony followed shortly after on the House floor where other lawmakers were present.
Franks stepped down in December after the House Ethics Committee revealed it was investigating allegations
of sexual harassment. The Associated Press reported that a former Franks aide accused the eight-term congressman of repeatedly asking her to be a surrogate for his child.
Lesko, a former Arizona state senator, defeated Democrat Hiral Tipirneni, a physician, by single digits in the closely watched contest to represent the West Valley. The 4 percentage point margin was a modest showing for Lesko in a district that leans heavily Republican.
Franks had held the seat for the last 15 years, winning by such significant margins that Democrats didn’t field candidates the last two election cycles. President Donald Trump carried the district by 21 percentage points. In 2012, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won the district by 25 percentage points.
“I think Debbie will make a wonderful member of Congress,” Franks said Monday. “I’ve supported her over the years and while I supported an alternative in the primary, I certainly have endorsed and contributed to her efforts in the general. She has nothing but the warmest and best wishes from me.”
Democrats said they were “thrilled” by Tipirneni’s showing in the race — even if Lesko won the seat. Their reasoning: Tipirneni forced Republicans to spend money — more than $1 million — in a district that should have been an easy win for the GOP.
To take back the House, Democrats must gain at least 23 seats. The Cook Political Report, which conducts nonpartisan election analysis, shows there are 147 Republican-held congressional districts that are considered friendlier to Democrats than Lesko’s district.
The latest index measures how each district performed at the presidential level in 2016 and 2012 compared with the nation as a whole.