2017 was the year of #MeToo. Women everywhere were empowered to come forward with their sexual harassment stories and call out their abusers, even if their abusers were high-ranking politicians. Some of the members of Congress that were accused of misconduct resigned, while others were called upon by their fellow politicians to step down. Here are seven members of Congress that were accused of sexual misconduct, and will not be returning to Congress in 2018.
Al Franken
After at least eight women came forward accusing Franken of sexual misconduct, his fellow Democrats urged him to resign, The New York Times reports. Franken had originally wanted to stay in office, but ultimately announced that he would resign. He will officially resign on January 2, and Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith will be sworn in as his successor, according to ABC News.
Joe Barton
Barton was going to seek another term in office when inappropriate photos and text messages that he had sent to women he was having affairs with were leaked, The New York Times reports. In a statement, according to CNN, Barton wrote, “I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election in 2018. To the people of the 6th District, thank you for your support and friendship.”
Tim Murphy
In October, it was reported that the married Congressman had asked the woman he was having an affair with to get an abortion, The Washington Post reports. According to The Post, Republican leaders had asked Murphy to resign as they focused on passing the tax bill, and on October 21 he resigned. A special election will be held on March 13 to fill his seat, The Atlantic reports.
Trent Franks
According to CNN, Franks announced that he would be resigning at the end of January after it came to light that he had asked two staff members to be surrogates for his and his wife’s child. The staff members reported that it made them feel “uncomfortable,” CNN reports. According to The Atlantic, Franks’ resignation came on the same day that the House Ethics Committee said that they would be opening an investigation into the matter.
Blake Farenthold
Farenthold announced that he would not be seeking another term after former staff members accused him of harassment and verbal abuse, The Atlantic reports. In addition, in 2014, Farenthold’s former communications director sued him for gender discrimination, sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, Politico reports. It was also reported that Farenthold used taxpayer money to settle the sexual harassment claim. Although Farenthold did not want to resign, he did after the House Ethics Committee opened a new inquiry, The Atlantic reports.
John Conyers
After several former employees accused Conyers of sexual harassment, the longest serving member of the House of Representatives announced in December that he would be resigning, ABC News reports. According to The Atlantic, Conyers denied the allegations, but ultimately resigned after politicians on both sides of the aisle urged him to resign. However, according to ABC News, Conyers still insisted that his legacy “can’t be compromised or diminished in any way by what we’re going through now.”
Ruben Kihuen
Not even a year into his first term, Kihuen was already facing sexual harassment allegations, Buzzfeed reports. According to The Atlantic, despite his fellow Democrats calling on him to step down, Kihuen announced that he would finish out his term in the House of Representatives but would not seek another term in 2018. He will now leave an open competitive seat.