Statehouses Can't Shake Sexual Misconduct Claims

The #MeToo movement hit critical mass in 2017, toppling politicians and public figures across the country. Allegations of harassment and misconduct—some from many years prior—emerged. Many state legislatures responded by adopting or enhancing policies against sexual misconduct. In the years since, women's representation in US statehouses has reached an all-time high. But allegations continue to surface—at the state level and beyond. An AP investigation finds at least 147 state lawmakers across 44 states have been accused of sexual harassment or misconduct since 2017. Most allegations were reported during the first two years of #MeToo, but more have surfaced every year since.

• In 2024 alone, the AP tallied at least 14 state lawmakers from 12 states who were accused—about twice as many as the previous year.
• In total, over a third of accused lawmakers resigned or were expelled from office. Roughly another third faced repercussions like losing party or committee positions.
• A dozen top state executive officials, including governors and attorneys general, faced similar allegations during that time and most resigned. Republicans and Democrats are nearly equally accused and 94% of those overall are men, according to the National Women's Defense League.

An AP survey, conducted from last November through January, found nearly half of all legislative chambers had updated their sexual harassment policies over the past five years. However, many policies are difficult for the general public to locate. Almost all state legislatures now offer sexual harassment training, up from about a third at the start of #MeToo, though it's not always mandatory and content, format and frequency vary. Only about one-third of legislative chambers conduct training annually, according to AP's survey. Men still make up two-thirds of all state lawmakers in the US and some, like Georgia state Rep. Shea Roberts, argue women continue to get the message that they should "just smile more and not be disruptive." More from the AP here. (More sexual misconduct stories.)