It was on this date in both 2015 and 2016 that “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" shared our profiles of the U.S. House Representative from California’s 25th Congressional District, Steven Knight, who prior to being elected to Congress as a California State Senator, campaigned hard to keep the Confederate flag being sold at gift shops in the state (in spite of California not being a part of the Confederacy), showed a fervent need to uphold California’s ban on bilingual education, cast a vote against a ban on gay conversion therapy, and that he was also a supporter of Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage ban in California, completing a hat trick of bigotry to be on the wrong side of African-Americans, Hispanics AND the LGBT community. Knight was also against workers’ rights, and even simple ideas like raising he minimum wage. Since arriving in Washington, Rep. Knight has been a consistent conservative vote, in particular on anti-abortion legislation, supporting such laws regardless of if they attempt to redefine rape and incest, and voting for a ban on abortion at 20 weeks. We did mention how narrowly Knight was elected, and that his seat is considered vulnerable in the 2016 elections from both the left, and right, because of his reaction to anti-amnesty immigration protesters who showed up at his office on April 21st, 2015. One of the protesters shook Rep. Knight’s hand, and accused him of lying, saying he researched Knight’s vote on HR 240, and that he had “voted for amnesty for immigrants”. Now, that might not be the most nuanced interpretation of Knight’s vote (considering that the alternative was to defund the Department of Homeland Security). But perhaps the best way to respond would not have been Rep. Knight’s response, which was, “If you touch me again, I’ll drop your ass.” Go figure, threatening to beat up your own constituents will not endear you to them.
Knight barely survived in 2016 against Democrat Bryan Caforio to get a second term in office, only garnering 53% of the vote, which is right about what the Republican lean is in his district. He apparently would still like to test the limits of what sorts of s***tiness you can get away with while serving in a swing district:
- February 16th, 2017: Knight votes for HJR 69, to make it legal for hunters on wildlife reserves to kill several species of hibernating bears or wolves while they’re sleeping. Because… well, the logic really isn’t there as to why, it’s just awful.
- March 16th, 2017: Steven Knight votes for HR 1181, which would allow veterans deemed mentally incompetent to continue to own firearms, and not have them taken away without a judge’s written order. We feel safer already.
- March 28th, 2017: Rep. Knight votes for SJ Res 34, which allowed internet providers to sell the data information of their customers’ internet usage to businesses. Well, so much for privacy.
- May 4th, 2017: Knight votes for the House GOP’s healthcare plan, that would kick roughly 24 million people off their health insurance plans, allow up to 28,000 more people to die a year, give $50,000 in tax breaks to millionaires, and would eliminate coverage for pre-existing conditions which would include such medical conditions as pregnancy (current or past), post-partum depression, or prior sexual assault. Oh, and a provision in the bill would make sure that Knight would be allowed to keep his healthcare plan as it exists under the ACA, which would be repealed for the rest of the country. He and his Republican compatriots threw themselves a beer bash to celebrate taking away healthcare from millions and then gloated about it with Donald Trump at a White House press conference, as well.
- June 8th, 2017: Steven Knight votes for HR 10, the GOP’s attempt to repeal Dodd-Frank financial reform, because what the country really needs is to allow the big banks to make the same mistakes that imploded the economy only a decade earlier.
After all of those votes, Steven Knight has seen protesters turn up outside of his offices, as well as at town halls he’s hosted where his constituents brought the heat over his AHCA vote and votes on broadband policies. Steven Knight will yet again be considered one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in 2018, and his seat could easily flip blue for the first time since 1993.
One Year Ago, August 22nd, 2016: Steven Knight (CA)… 2016 Update
Two Years Ago, August 22nd, 2015: Steven Knight (CA)…Original Profile
Three Years Ago, August 22nd, 2014: Cliff Stearns (FL)