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State Senator/Gubernatorial candidate stripped of committee posts

Flickr User Kevin Simmons
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https://flic.kr/p/RSPoRE

Intraparty drama is building in the state Senate. A Republican Senator was removed from four committees.

Senator Patrick Colbeck is known as a hardline conservative. Even going so far as to speak out against his own party on issues like Medicaid expansion and the gas tax.

The Senate Majority Leader is keeping a tight lip on the specific reasons Colbeck was booted. But a spokesperson did say it was because of multiple concerns.

Colbeck says he isn’t discouraged.

“It just means we gotta work twice as hard to get the same effect. And I’ll still be very vocal on policy issues across the board.”

Amber McCann is the spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof. She would not give specifics about why Colbeck was removed.

“The action that Senator Meekhof took is as a result of multiple concerns not the limited explanation that Senator Colbeck has provided.”

Colbeck says he’ll continue to represent his district – it just might be a little harder now.

“This is a prime example of politics as usual. This is swamp politics and this is exactly what people are ticked off about. Frankly it’s the reason why I ran for office in the first place.”

Colbeck says he was kicked out because he went to Meekhof’s district for an event without telling Meekhof ahead of time. A spokesperson for Meekhof declined to give specifics. But she did say the ouster was because of multiple concerns.