Virginia lawmaker Jackie Glass said she got a “safety brief” when she joined the Legislature.
“I was told who not to go drink with, who not to be alone with and who to just watch out for,” she said on the Statehouse floor in 2024. Addressing the male House speaker, she said, “I don’t think you got that brief.”
The Democrat was discussing a pervasive culture of sexual misconduct in the Statehouse, something that remains despite the #MeToo movement hitting critical mass in 2017.
The movement toppled politicians, celebrities and others across the country. Allegations of harassment and misconduct, some from many years prior, came to light — highlighting a toxic culture where such behavior was perhaps as rampant and accepted as the silence that buried it.
Many state legislatures responded by adopting or enhancing policies against sexual misconduct. As the number of female state lawmakers reaches new heights, some say statehouses are less of a “boys’ club.”
But allegations continue to surface — at the state level and beyond.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Glass questioned why she would encourage women to join the legislative ranks when it feels little has changed.
“I just don’t know how we keep women — and well, quite frankly, people — safe when it feels like it goes hand in hand with the work,” she said.
12 dozen lawmakers accused in 8 years
Since 2017, The Associated Press has cataloged at least 147 state lawmakers across 44 states who have been accused of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct.
Over a third resigned or were expelled from office and roughly another third faced repercussions, such as losing party or committee leadership positions. A dozen top state executive officials, including governors and attorneys general, also faced sexual misconduct allegations during that time, and most resigned.
The total includes allegations of incidents in state government and outside of it. That includes Minnesota Republican state Sen. Justin Eichorn, who resigned on Thursday after being charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution. A federal defender said Thursday that Eichorn was still in the process of hiring a private lawyer.
Most allegations were reported in the first two years of #MeToo, but more have emerged every year since.
In 2024 alone, the AP tallied at least 14 state lawmakers from a dozen states who were accused — about twice as many as the previous year.
According to the National Women’s Defense League, which advocates for sexual harassment policies in statehouses and keeps its own count, Republicans and Democrats are nearly equally accused and 94% of those overall are men.
New policies and training, but not always transparency
An AP survey of the legislative chambers in each state, conducted from last November through January, found about half had updated their sexual harassment policies over the past five years.
The Nevada Legislature, for example, expanded its definition of sexual harassment to include “visual” conduct — such as derogatory photos or gestures.
And the Kentucky General Assembly added sexual harassment to its list of “ ethical misconduct,” taking action several years after revelations that four lawmakers had signed a secret sexual harassment settlement with a female employee.
Almost all state legislatures now offer it, though it’s not always mandatory and content, format and frequency vary.
Academic experts and women’s advocacy groups say frequent training is best — conducted in person and with real-life scenarios. While most chambers offer in-person training, only about one-third nationwide conduct training annually, according to AP’s survey.
Not every legislative chamber is transparent about its policies or efforts to mitigate sexual harassment and misconduct, though.
The Oklahoma Senate and both chambers of the West Virginia Legislature declined to provide their sexual harassment policies to the AP, asserting they are internal documents exempt from disclosure. The Mississippi Senate did not respond to requests for its written policy.
