A Republican state lawmaker in Pennsylvania said he was removed from the floor of the House of Representatives after wearing an American flag-inspired suit jacket ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.
Rep. Eric Davanzo said he was surprised Tuesday when House Speaker Rep. Joanna McClinton determined that his outfit violated chamber rules and referred to the jacket as a “costume.”
“Kicked off the floor for wearing a Patriotic jacket? That’s right, it happened!” Davanzo wrote in a post on his Facebook page.
Davanzo, who represents Pennsylvania’s 58th District in Westmoreland County, drew attention in the chamber with a red-and-white striped jacket — which he said his wife, Rachelle, purchased for him — paired with a tie featuring a star pattern.
“I will never apologize for putting patriotism before politics,” Davanzo said. “We love our country. We love America, so I’m happy to put this on. I’m proud to wear this.
Davanzo said the jacket received a warm response from colleagues, including some Democrats.
“That is a very colorful jacket that the representative is wearing today. Very patriotic, I see, my friend,” Rep. Jordan Harris, a Democrat from Philadelphia County, said.
“Everybody loved it,” Davanzo said. “They come up, people gave me hugs, shaking my hands, ‘Hey, this is great.”
Not everyone appreciated the lawmaker’s eye-catching attire – especially McClinton, the first black speaker of the Pennsylvania house.
The pol said House Whip Mike Schlossberg (D-Lehigh County) gave him an ultimatum to either lose the jacket or leave the floor.
Davanzo claimed that a security guard in the chamber repeated the order just a few minutes later.
“She says it’s a costume… He goes, yeah, it’s something you wouldn’t wear everyday,” Davanzo said. “And I’m like, ‘Listen, I would wear this back home and I’m going to wear it again.
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“America’s 250… It’s a holiday weekend coming up. Why not wear it?”
McClinton’s office stood by the decision to remove the pol despite the fury it generated.
“The House Democrats came to Harrisburg this week to do the serious work of passing a responsible budget to benefit all Pennsylvanians,” her office told NBC News.
Davanzo clapped back against Democrats, and it came as lawmakers failed to pass the state’s budget on time for the fifth year in a row.
“We have an affordability crisis; people can’t afford stuff,” he told WHP.
“Instead of coming out here and doing the people’s work, no, what are we focused on? We’re focused on bulls–t issues like this jacket, right? No reason whatsoever.
“This wasn’t a costume. This is something that I truly believe in. I’m a patriot.”
Davanzo, a dad to two daughters Brianna and Brielle, first won election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2020, defeating Robert Prah Jr by almost 9,000 votes.
His margin of victory in 2022 against Ken Bach was a little tighter – 7,335 – before comprehensively defeating union nurse Cherri Rogers by more than 14,000 votes two years later.
He will face off against Rogers again this November for election to the 58th District – a constituency which includes the former steel town of Monessen.
Davanzo was unchallenged in this year’s Republican primary.
During his six years in the house, he has backed laws that champion family-sustained jobs, improving infrastructure, and giving children a quality education.
He passed a law – Act 7 of 2022 – that dedicates part of State Route 31 to John Beyrand, who was killed in action in Vietnam in August 1967 — a little over a year after he started his tour.
The Post has reached out to Davanzo’s office for comment.
