By Rachel Leingang and Katie Campbell | Arizona Capitol Times
Six women at the Arizona Capitol, including two legislators, say a prominent Republican state lawmaker has harassed them.
The allegations against 65-year-old Rep. Don Shooter, R-Yuma, range from sexually charged comments to unwanted touching.
The women decided to publicly discuss the incidents after reporting from various news outlets, led by The New York Times and New Yorker, broke open sexual harassment claims from numerous women against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. Since then, women in various industries have gone public with stories about men in their businesses who have harassed them.
Related: Panel of women in public policy discusses sexual harassment at Capitol
The topic of harassment at the Arizona Capitol came to the forefront on Oct. 20 after Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, said she had been sexually harassed at the statehouse for years since taking office in 2011. Ugenti-Rita made her accusation more specific on Tuesday, when she told a local TV station one of the men who harassed her was Shooter.
Several women have since come forward with stories of unwanted comments and touching from Shooter.