A state lawmaker from Detroit says he’s been kicked out of the House Democratic caucus. State Representative Harvey Santana says he was expelled and removed from a meeting of Democratic House members.
“I don’t toe the party line and I do what I need to do on behalf of my constituents," Santana says. "That I have a mind of my own and I speak that mind. That’s challenging in an era where they want to closely guard your votes. I won’t play into that. I've got a job to do."
Santana recently accepted the position of ranking Democrat on the state House Appropriations Committee over the objections of his party’s leadership.
House Democratic Leader Tim Greimel (GRYE’-mel) would not say specifically whether Santana had been kicked out of the caucus.