AUGUSTA (AP) — A Republican state lawmaker says he has unenrolled from the GOP to focus on solutions over party.
State Rep. Norman Higgins says he will serve the rest of his second term as an independent.
Higgins was among the only House Republicans who voted in favor of a budget before the three-day government shutdown. He described the Legislature as a “partisan area where outcomes are measured in wins and losses.”
The House has seen several members change their party affiliations in the past year.
The Legislature now has 74 Democrats, 69 Republicans, six independents and one Green Party member.
A vacant seat held by the late Republican Rep. Gina Mason will be filled during a special election in November.
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