Cindy Gamrat served in the state House for eight months, but in September she was expelled after a House report that she and now former Representative Todd Courser misused state resources to conceal their affair.
A special election has been called to fill the vacancy left by Gamrat's expulsion. She is one of eight Republican candidates on the ballot for Tuesday's special election. The special general election will be held in March.
Gamrat says she worked hard for the people of Allegan County on issues such as defining life at conception and cutting taxes.
Asked about the possibility of the state House not seating her, Gamrat says that would be a "political gimmick" and a "slap in the face" to the voters of the 80th District.
Gamrat acknowledges that she didn't know much about the institution of the House when she first arrived in January. Gamrat says that she learned a lot while in office. If she is elected, Gamrat says she will fight for her district.
As an example, Gamrat says voters in the 80th district overwhelmingly rejected Proposal 1 in May. It would have raised the state sales tax, as part of an overall road funding package. Gamrat says that shows that voters in the 80th District don't want a tax increase to pay for roads.
Gamrat says there have been many inaccurate reports regarding the use of state resources to conceal her affair with then Representative Todd Courser. Gamrat says she admitted that the e-mails and audio in the House Business Office report were accurate, but she says other aspects of the report were not.
The investigation into Gamrat's and Courser's conduct prompted some complaints about laws regarding the recall of lawmakers that were passed two years ago. Gamrat says she thinks the voters should decide whether or not she serves in the state House. Gamrat says the rules governing recall elections should be re-examined.
