Grassroots activists from the districts of seven California Republican Congressmen who last week objected to the certification of the presidential election results called for their expulsion for seeking to “erase the votes” of people of color which they said were “the result of organizing and not fraud.”
The activists called for severe consequences for the group whom they called “the seditious seven” from California: Rep. Devin Nunes (Central Valley), Rep. Jay Obernolte (Central Valley), Rep. Ken Calvert (Inland Empire), Rep. Darrell Issa (San Diego), Rep. Mike Garcia (Santa Clarita), Rep. Doug LaMalfa (Far North California) and Rep. Kevin McCarthy: (Central Valley).
“One of the common lies being told around the country in regard to fraud, especially across conservative outlets, is that they…can erase Black women, Black and people of color who make up a significant portion of the voting block in the state of California”, said Pablo Rodríguez, executive director of Communities for a New California based in California´s Central Valley.
The activists said the seven may not be kicked out of Congress, but added that they will work to empower more voters in the districts they represent so “we can turn them blue,” said Tina McKinnor of LA Voice Action, a grassroots inter-faith group from Los Angeles.
“With their support for not certifying the election results, these representatives joined in the lies to disenfranchise voters,” said Chris Rice-Wilson, from the Alliance San Diego Mobilization Fund. “The record votes we saw in our communities was not the result of fraud but of organizing efforts.”
Michael Gomez Daly, executive director of Inland Empire United, based in San Bernardino, said that he is ashamed of his congressman Ken Calvert but pointed to other local officials who “share conspiracy theories on social media.”
“They´re openly advocating violence,” he added.
Irene Kao, executive director of Courage California, a progressive online activism network, said that even though President Trump has been impeached and suffered politically “punishing him will not be enough when these congressmen still have two years in office to continue pushing the insurrection he started.”
