Norton said he believed Meijer made a mistake in blaming Trump for inciting the riot.
“We have a lot of people with a lot of passion and we can’t control everyone,” he said, before exaggerating the pockets of unrest that occurred alongside last year’s peaceful protests for racial justice. “Blaming President Trump is the same as blaming Kamala Harris and Joe Biden for all the riots the antifa did last summer.”
Representative John Katko of central New York, who was the first Republican legislator to support impeachment, is one of the few remaining Republicans who represents a Democratic-biased district. Some Republicans in his district were outraged by his vote.
“‘Not very happy’ would be the most polite way to say it,” said Fred Beardsley, chairman of the Republican Committee for Oswego County. “We are very upset. I am terribly upset. “
“I think Mr. Katko has crossed the line,” he continued. “He cheated on us.”
For Mr. Katko and Representatives Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, David Valadao of California and Fred Upton and Mr. Meijer of Michigan, all Republicans who voted for impeachment and come from states that are likely to lose seats in the redistricting process this year, the contours of the districts they may seek to represent in 2022 have not yet been determined.
Democratic state lawmakers in New York and Illinois could lure Katko and Kinzinger to districts represented by other incumbent Republicans, potentially blocking the way for a Trumpian insurgent, while commissions will determine the district lines in California, Michigan and Ohio.
Gene Koprowski, a conservative filmmaker who entered to run against Kinzinger, said he did so to start raising money, but is waiting for the Illinois legislature to redraw his district maps before formally starting a campaign.
The challengers for Cheney, who represents Wyoming’s unique district, do not face the same calculation. Anthony Bouchard, a state senator, announced his campaign on Wednesday during President Biden’s inauguration. On Thursday night, he was a guest on TV Newsmax and on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News program.