Once a darling of Pennsylvania Republicans, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Zionsville, Lehigh County, is now considered a pariah by many of the party’s top leaders.

This has been reflected in the censure votes of four of the five Republican county committees in our area (Schuylkill, Monroe, Northampton and Lehigh) because of his against-the-grain vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.

A large majority of the 67 party organizations across the state took similar action. One that did not vote for censure was Carbon. Officials said that the Carbon committee is focused on this year’s elections featuring constitutional amendments and judicial and county races.

Toomey was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict Trump after he was impeached for a second time by the House of Representatives. The other six have faced similar retaliation in their respective states. The vote was 57-43 for conviction, short of the two-thirds or 67 votes needed.

Curiously however, the Republican State Committee voted to “rebuke” rather than “censure” the two-term senator, who announced last October that he is not going to seek another six-year term in 2022. The statewide committee vote was 128 to 124 with 13 abstentions to issue a “strong rebuke” to Toomey.

The state organization drafted a statement that said it is “outraged” by Toomey’s participation in efforts that “facilitated Democrats’ tireless obsession with partisan political retribution.”

Some may wonder what is the difference between “censure” and a “strong rebuke.” From a practical standpoint, not much. In fact, in Toomey’s case both are merely symbolic and have no practical legal application to his remaining 15 months as a U.S. senator.

There is no question in my mind that if Toomey had decided to seek a third term, he would not have voted the way he did, and he probably would have kept his seat and his high standing in the Republican hierarchy.

There was even talk last year that Toomey would have been a front-runner if he chose to run for governor next year. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, is precluded from seeking a third term because of a two-term limit.

Toomey has long been a champion of the conservative cause. Even now, despite the animosity shown toward him by Trump loyalists, Toomey’s voting record in Washington reflects that conservative bent.

Earlier this month, he voted “no” against the confirmations of Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Housing Marcia Fudge and Environmental Protection Agency Chief Michael Regan. He also voted “no” on the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill that passed Congress and was signed into law by President Joe Biden.

Toomey was never an ardent fan of former President Trump. You might recall that Toomey’s support for Trump in 2016, the same year Toomey was seeking his second term, came grudgingly and only hours before the polls closed.

Through it all, Toomey has remained steadfast in his impeachment decision. He told a Pittsburgh radio station that Republicans can’t look the other way when a president “tries terrible and illegal and unconstitutional means of staying in power. That’s not acceptable, that’s not conservative, that’s not Republican.”

He told a Philadelphia radio station, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for the party to be deciding that they’re going to censure a particular elected Republican over a particular vote, and I think it sends a bad message to the many Republicans who do agree with what I’ve done here.”

Even when the going gets rough for politicians, they can generally count on their home county to continue to fly the support flag. Not so with Toomey. The Lehigh County Republican Committee’s censure came much later than many of the other counties, underscoring the ambivalence some members had about turning on one of their own.

In Northampton County, for example, members didn’t even wait for Toomey’s impeachment vote. They voted to censure him because he dared to support a trial on the impeachment charge.

It should be noted that the Lehigh GOP is led by acting chair Tim Ramos, the only Republican candidate for Allentown mayor this year. Running in a heavily Democratic city, Ramos’ approval of the Toomey censure will not play well to more moderate Republicans or Democrats on whom he will need to rely if he hopes to have even a prayer of putting up a decent fight in November.

This is emblematic of the bigger question: Should Toomey be pilloried for voting his conscience? Is there no room under a political tent for diverse opinions?

Jezree Friend, a state GOP committee member from Erie County, had attempted to talk members out of a condemnation vote. The party should not require a “Trump litmus test” to show loyalty, he said, because it is “divisive, damaging to a necessary ‘big tent’ culture and a hallmark of ‘cancel culture.’

Sam DeMarco, chair of the Allegheny County Republican Party, agreed, saying that the “bloodthirst” to punish Toomey is counterproductive if the party wants to attract new members and concentrate on winning races.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.