Wisconsin state Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) speaks in the Wisconsin Assembly Chamber on Jan. 25, 2024 in Madison, Wis. (Screenshot via WisconsinEye)
  1. Ohio state Rep. Jennifer Gross says her son does not sleep with “loose,” vaccinated women

In a since-deleted comment on X, Ohio state Rep. Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) declared on Jan. 18 that her 20-year-old son does not sleep with vaccinated women.

Gross was responding to a post made by the X account DrO (@BenMarble_MD), which falsely claimed that breeding with a man who has taken the COVID-19 vaccine increases the risk of mental retardation and birth defects.

“My oldest is 20 and he’s awake,” Gross said. “No girls who are ‘loose.’ No girls who are vaxxed.”

Ohio state Rep. Jennifer Gross’ (R-West Chester) X post from Jan. 18, 2024.

  1. Border bill debacle

After years of Republicans slamming Democrats on border and immigration, a bipartisan border deal looked imminent until former President Donald Trump urged Republicans in Congress to not support the legislation. One of the main Republican negotiators was Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who was censured by the Oklahoma GOP after he criticized his party for not supporting the bill, which includes many border provisions Trump and Republicans have wanted for years.

Lankford has been under fire after a Jan. 28 appearance on Fox News, where host Shannon Bream asked Lankford why he would be willing to give President Joe Biden a “victory lap” on the border in an election year.

Lankford has continued to defend the bill even after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) declared it will be “dead on arrival” if/when it reaches the House of Representatives.

“Now we’ve got to actually determine, are we going to just complain about things? Are we going to actually … change as many things as we can if we have the shot?”

  1. Nobody knows who’s in charge of the Michigan Republican party

After conspiracy theorist Kristina Karamo was removed as chair of the Michigan Republican party, she has refused to leave and repeatedly labeled the efforts to oust her as illegitimate. Last week, the Republican National Convention established a temporary panel to determine the true leader of the Michigan Republican party after a splinter group of committee members elected former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra as their chair.

In addition to the RNC, former President Donald Trump has backed Hoekstra despite supporting Karamo’s ascension as chair and her unsuccessful bid for secretary of state in 2022.

Despite Trump’s efforts, Karamo is still fighting, and her supporters seem unfazed.

  1. New Oklahoma state Sen. Dusty Deevers wants a Christian Nationalist agenda

Oklahoma state Sen. Dusty Deevers (R-Elgin) made quite an impact in his first full month in office. After winning a special election in December, Deevers quickly submitted six bills to address the Christian Nationalist agenda that he openly espouses and defends. These bills include a total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother, as well as a total pornography ban that would implement felony charges for the possession or creation of any pornographic image.

During an appearance on the “Conversations that Matter” podcast, Deevers also labeled any non-Christian as “wicked” and that Christians like him being elected to government positions is a benefit for everyone.

  1. Wisconsin state Rep. Joel Kitchens is an abortion expert

While debating a bill that would put a 14-week abortion ban in front of voters on Jan. 25, Wisconsin state Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) urged everyone in the room to trust him on the issue because he did thousands of ultrasounds on animals when he was a veterinarian.

The Republican-controlled Assembly approved the bill along party lines, but Gov. Tony Evers (D) promised to veto the legislation. Abortion is currently legal up to 20 weeks in Wisconsin.