Pa. House Speaker Mark Rozzi resigns to make way for McClinton
PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) -- Pennsylvania House Speaker Rep. Mark Rozzi is resigning from his position so that Philadelphia Rep. Joanna McClinton will be voted in to take over, he told the news outlet Spotlight PA.
McClinton, a Democrat, was sworn in as Speaker on Tuesday afternoon.
Rozzi was named to the position as a compromise when Democrats and Republicans couldn't agree on who was in control of the state House of Representatives.
Democrats flipped a net of 12 seats in November to retake majority control after more than a decade, but their margin did not become effective until their candidates won three special elections earlier this month.
Rozzi was elected as a Democrat but said he would govern as an independent.
He told Spotlight the way that he was elected speaker was "a prime description of what's wrong with Harrisburg."
"But they tried to manipulate, hoodwink, snooker the members of this General Assembly by electing me, thinking that I would do their bidding for them. That I would turn against my party," he told Spotlight.
Rozzi represents Berks County. He told the news outlet after stepping down he would throw his support behind McClinton, a Philadelphia Democrat who would be the first woman, and the first Black woman, to be speaker.
In a statement, Rozzi opened up about being a survivor of church sexual abuse but said his efforts to pass more legislation on behalf of victims were hampered by special interests.
He said he would step down and would vote for McClinton to take his place.
"Joanna, I believe in your words. I believe in you. I, and all Pennsylvanians, are counting on you. I will not allow the allure of power or the trappings of office to keep me from doing what is right. I was not elected by the people for this office, and I will not stand in the way of the woman who was," Rozzi said.
Republican leader Rep. Bryan Cutler said in a statement that Rozzi broke the trust of the party.
"Right now, the House is in dire need of a reset, and I remain committed to working with anyone who is willing to work with us to find solutions," Cutler said. "However, the only way we will be able to move forward is by lowering the temperatures that have risen due to an unforeseen lack of integrity that has set back our ability to work across the aisle."
In nominating her, Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, noted McClinton is also the second African American to serve as speaker, after the late Speaker Leroy Irvis. The vote was 102-99, reflecting two absences.
"She's brilliant, formidable, and she gives voice to our values in ways that ring so true it reverberates around this chamber," said Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny.
McClinton, 40, a state lawmaker since 2015, grew up in Southwest Philadelphia, where she still lives, and attended La Salle University and Villanova Law School. She has worked as a public defender and a state Senate attorney.
She has been the Democratic floor leader since 2020, and was also the first woman to hold that position.
Republicans nominated Rep. Carl Metzgar of Somerset County.
Rozzi's top legislative priority, a two-year window for victims to file otherwise outdated lawsuits with claims of child sexual abuse, passed the House last week.
