While the term was originally used to describe members of Congress who voted against the certification of the electoral vote in the 2020 presidential election, its use has since become somewhat broader (but still related to the aftermath of the 2021 Capitol attack). For example, it was used to describe the senators who voted "not guilty" in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump.
Origins and use
Historical context
Before the Electoral College certification vote, Donald Trump had attempted to overturn the results of the election for two months, promoting the Stop the Steal conspiracy theory that he had won, and filing dozens of lawsuits at the state level that were ruled against or dismissed. On December 2, 2020, Politico reported that Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama was planning to object to the counting of the electoral votes from several states won by Biden.[4] On December 30, 2020, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri became the first senator to announce he would object to the vote certification, meaning the objection would need to be considered by Congress.[5]
Several Republican members of Congress who previously stated that they would object, including Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, who had announced her intention to object at a campaign rally with Trump, chose not to do so following the Capitol riot.[6]
In April, Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican who did not vote to object to Biden's win, said she was considering a presidential run. She also indicated a belief that such objecting should be seen as "disqualifying" other presumptive Republican nominees, "particularly the senators who led the unconstitutional charge".[7]
Even before the Capitol riot, some political commentators began using the term "Sedition Caucus". One of the earliest known uses of the term is from an Orlando Sentinel editorial on December 31, which noted that "about a dozen senators declared they're joining what's disparagingly being called the Sedition Caucus to overturn the election, despite Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's warnings against such a move."[8] Another early use of the term is by CNN host Jake Tapper on January 3, who said "Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska slammed Hawley and others of the Sedition Caucus saying, 'adults don't point a loaded gun at the legitimate government.'"[9][10] The next day, The Atlantic published a column by Tom Nichols where he used the term, referencing Tapper.[11] In a January 5 column entitled "A really bad day for the 'Sedition Caucus'", political columnist Jennifer Rubin used the term to refer to the group of senators, calling them "the 'Sedition Caucus' — or the 'Dirty Dozen', if you prefer."[a][12]
Use of the term is highly critical. Conservative columnist Max Boot compared Sedition Caucus members to Senator Joseph McCarthy and he argued that they should similarly "see their careers crash and burn".[14] Rubin argued that the senators should be expelled from the Senate or removed from the Republican caucus and Senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and John Kennedy should be disbarred, and that members of the House should be primaried or face third party opponents.[13] Some members of the Sedition Caucus have faced calls for their resignation.[15]
Political opponents
In February, a Democratic super PAC called the Sedition Caucus PAC was formed to pursue negative campaigning against House Republicans in swing districts.[16]
In June 2021, Democratic U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly used the term, saying he thought McCarthy "would probably appoint people from the Sedition Caucus" to a proposed January 6 commission.[17]
Scholars
Scholars have also used the term when analyzing the objections of these Republicans as a norm-breaking political phenomenon. Political scientist Sarah Binder noted that the majority of Sedition Caucus members come from very red districts, while Republicans in swing districts mostly voted against the objection.[18] Binder also noted a divide between Senate Republican leadership, which overwhelmingly voted against the objection, and House Republican leadership, which overwhelmingly voted in favor of it, arguing that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy "led the Sedition Caucus" and attracted Republican votes to object.[18]
On January 21, the progressive advocacy group Public Citizen reported that Big Tech companies and employees had given nearly $2 million (~$2.49 million in 2023) to Sedition Caucus members since 2016.[26][27] Six days later, Public Citizen reported that fossil fuel companies and executives had donated $8.8 million to Sedition Caucus members.[28]
In July 2021, Toyota announced it would no longer donate to members of Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election.[29] Toyota again resumed donations in April 2022.[30]
Other uses
Following the events at the U.S. Capitol, the editorial board of The Capital Times, a newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin, argued that the Wisconsin Legislature has its own Sedition Caucus: 15 state legislators who signed a letter to Vice President Mike Pence asking him to reject the Electoral College vote certification.[31]
After the second impeachment trial of Trump in 2021, which was related to the insurrection, journalist John Nichols used the term to describe the 43 Republican senators who voted not to convict Trump.[32]
Members of Congress described by the term
A total of 147 members of Congress voted in some form to invalidate the electoral college vote count of the 2020 presidential election: 139 in the House of Representatives, and 8 in the Senate.[33]
Senate
The eight Republican senators who would be part of the Sedition Caucus by the original definition include:[34]
The 139 Republican members of the House of Representatives who would be part of the sedition caucus by the original definition include (alphabetically by each state):[33]
^At the time, twelve senators had announced they would object to the certification. Kelly Loeffler also announced she would object, leading Rubin to call the group the "Dirty Baker's Dozen". However, following the storming of the U.S. Capitol, several of these Republican senators dropped their objections, leading only six to object to Arizona and seven to object to Pennsylvania.[12] Rubin then referred to the six who objected to Arizona as the "Dirty Half Dozen".[13]
^LaTurner missed the Pennsylvania vote due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
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