{"id":739360,"date":"2026-07-02T17:45:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T17:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/739360\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T17:45:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T17:45:12","slug":"republican-lawmaker-ejected-from-pa-state-house-over-patriotic-suit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/739360\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican lawmaker ejected from Pa. State House over patriotic suit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">A Republican lawmaker was booted from Pennsylvania\u2019s Democrat-controlled State House chamber over his choice of patriotic attire celebrating the U.S. founding 250 years ago this week in the commonwealth.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">The dispute comes as Americans prepare to celebrate the nation&#8217;s semiquincentennial and as the Trump administration showcases the Great American State Fair while the Shapiro administration features America250PA concerts and fairs from Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">America\u2019s most prominent swing state has long enjoyed closely-divided government, with Gov. Josh Shapiro controlling the executive, Democrats holding a one-seat House majority and Republicans holding a four-seat Senate majority \u2013 <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1154991\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/watch-dems-go-silent-pull-womens-month-resolution-after-gop-asks-simple-definition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">which has led to dustups<\/a> like that involving state Rep. Eric Davanzo this week.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1154992\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/ms-now-guest-admits-great-trepidation-about-celebrating-americas-250th-claims-country-being-destroyed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">MS NOW GUEST ADMITS &#8216;GREAT TREPIDATION&#8217; ABOUT CELEBRATING AMERICA&#8217;S 250TH, CLAIMS COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Davanzo-topper-oneal.jpg\" alt=\"O'Neal and Davanzo talk in session\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Pennsylvania state Reps. Timothy O&#8217;Neal, R-Washington, left, and Eric Davanzo, R-Westmoreland, right, talk before the session as House Minority Leader Jesse Topper, R-McConnellsburg, far right, walks by. (Pennsylvania House Republicans)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Davanzo, who represents a swath of Westmoreland County between Pittsburgh and Greensburg, said he was shocked by the reaction of House Speaker Joanna McClinton, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1154993\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/philadelphia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">D-Southwest Philadelphia<\/a>, when he came to Tuesday\u2019s session sporting a red, white and blue suit and tie.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Davanzo told Fox News Digital he walked around the chamber greeting colleagues and eventually stopped to chat with House Minority Whip Timothy O\u2019Neal, R-Washington.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;We were talking, I turned around when a House photographer got a picture\u2026 and the next thing I know Whip O\u2019Neal is gone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1154994\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/pride-flags-spark-controversy-displayed-veterans-tribute-banners-long-island-town\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">PRIDE FLAGS SPARK CONTROVERSY AFTER BEING DISPLAYED WITH VETERANS&#8217; TRIBUTE BANNERS IN LONG ISLAND TOWN<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/eric-davanzo-and-tim-oneal-pa.jpg\" alt=\"Timothy O'Neal and Eric Davanzo in Capitol\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>State Reps. Tim O&#8217;Neal and Eric Davanzo pose on the House floor in Harrisburg. (Pennsylvania House Republicans)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;He comes back a few minutes later and he says, \u2018hey, you&#8217;re not going to like this,\u2019&#8221; Davanzo said, going on to recount that McClinton informed minority leadership that his attire was inappropriate.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I\u2019m like, \u2018what? You\u2019ve got to be kidding,\u2019&#8221; Davanzo said, before learning McClinton wanted him off the House floor.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Davanzo initially decided to stay on the floor despite Democratic leaders&#8217; wishes until a House security guard informed him McClinton was demanding he either remove his suit jacket or leave.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1154995\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/pride-flags-spark-controversy-displayed-veterans-tribute-banners-long-island-town\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">PRIDE FLAGS SPARK CONTROVERSY AFTER BEING DISPLAYED WITH VETERANS&#8217; TRIBUTE BANNERS IN LONG ISLAND TOWN<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/davanzo-in-suit-on-floor.jpg\" alt=\"Eric Davanzo in his patriotic suit\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Pennsylvania State Rep. Eric Davanzo wears a patriotic jacket to session on June 30, 2026. (Pennsylvania House Republicans)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Instead of taking my jacket off, I walked off the House Floor,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Davanzo said that while it was clear McClinton objected to his <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1154996\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/america-250\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">America 250-themed suit<\/a>, some Democratic lawmakers came up to him afterward in the Capitol and said they did not agree with his ejection.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">One Philadelphia Democrat, Rep. Jordan Davis of Gray&#8217;s Ferry, had remarked to Davanzo the suit was &#8220;a very colorful jacket the representative is wearing today. Very patriotic, I see, my friend.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Davanzo said House leadership had previously endorsed thematic attire in the chamber.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;They were asked to dress in pride colors because they were going to do a House photo on the floor,&#8221; Davanzo told Fox News Digital, noting June is Pride Month. &#8220;That&#8217;s OK. We can take our photos for pride but we can&#8217;t show up as a patriot and take a photo or even get on the House floor apparently,&#8221; Davanzo said. He then read from a statement from McClinton about Pride Month and how it encourages people to be &#8220;authentic&#8221; and &#8220;love freely.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;You&#8217;re only able to love freely because the brave men and women died for this flag,&#8221; Davanzo said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;They died for our country. This is complete hypocrisy. You&#8217;re allowed to wear tennis shoes on the floor. You&#8217;re allow to wear top hats. You can wear camo-jackets. Everything across the board, but don&#8217;t show up with a patriotic outfit on because you&#8217;re going to be asked to leave.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">He noted that the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1154997\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\/secrets-revolutionary-war-battlefields-emerge-250-years-after-americas-founding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Declaration of Independence<\/a> was signed 250 years ago Saturday about 250 miles east of his district in Philadelphia and that he is also a &#8220;Bicentennial Baby,&#8221; born in 1976 and celebrating his 50th birthday this year.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1154998\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/newsletters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Davanzo also leads the America First Caucus in the State House, which he said focuses on efforts like onshoring manufacturing in the increasingly postindustrial Keystone State and providing for an &#8220;<a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1154999\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-admin-backs-off-controversial-2b-fund-clearing-path-gop-restart-agenda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">automatic death penalty<\/a>&#8221; for illegal immigrants convicted of murdering Pennsylvanians.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I introduced bills that we would give $250 checks out to every family household in Pennsylvania so that we can celebrate America [250]. This is what I stand for, this is what believe in. I&#8217;m just representing my folks back home of who I am,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;This is a big celebration coming up. I want to be patriotic, why not? What is so wrong with what I have on?&#8221; said Davanzo, who wore the very same suit during his interview.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fox News Digital reached out to McClinton for comment.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fox News Digital&#8217;s Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p>Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, worked in both the New York and Washington bureaus for Fox News since 2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Republican lawmaker was booted from Pennsylvania\u2019s Democrat-controlled State House&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":739361,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,3234,111,306483,2186,69279,317923,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-739360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-politics","tag-proud-american","tag-republicans","tag-republicans-elections","tag-state-and-local","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=739360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/739361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=739360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=739360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=739360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}