Google searches for ‘who is my representative’ spike

Google searches for “who is my representative” jumped Tuesday, the search engine reported. 

The surge coincides with the new Congress opening its first session after the holiday and alongside Republicans’ controversial and short-lived push to gut an independent ethics watchdog agency.

Google reported the spike in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

Search interest in ‘who is my representative’ spikes after GOP votes on House Ethics Committee pic.twitter.com/zslM3VbHLF

— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) January 3, 2017

{mosads}The GOP voted Monday night to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics and put it under House Ethics Committee control. But they quickly abandoned the push after backlash from Democrats and constituents. President-elect Donald Trump also questioned the party’s priorities on Twitter.

House Republicans met in an emergency conference to reverse the proposal before the 115th session of Congress officially began Tuesday.

The House created the Office of Congressional Ethics in 2008 in response to a series of ethical scandals involving GOP lawmakers. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was Speaker at the time.