A NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll of likely voters shows that whether a candidate supports impeaching President Donald Trump could have an impact during the upcoming midterm elections:
A congressional candidate’s position on whether or not to impeach President Donald Trump could be a motivating factor in this year’s midterm elections. A plurality of registered voters (47%) say they would definitely vote against a candidate for Congress who wants to impeach the president. 42% would definitely vote for a candidate who has that intent, and 10% are unsure.
Notably, three in ten Democrats say they would either definitely vote against a candidate who favors impeachment (18%) or are unsure (12%). 70% of Democrats would definitely vote for such a candidate. Among Republicans, 84% would not back a candidate seeking to impeach President Trump. A plurality of independents (47%) say the same.
“If the question of impeachment dominates the news this fall, like so many other voter concerns, it breaks along partisan lines,” Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said. “But, because nearly one-third of Democrats are not eager to open up this debate, it is one potential campaign issue that advantages the GOP.”
Unlike Democrat voters, however, Democrat strategists have warned against impeachment campaigns, including one led by one of the party’s most flush donors: Tom Steyer.
In January, the New York Times reported:
Party strategists have pleaded with Democratic candidates for Congress not to join in.
But that donor, Tom Steyer, a California billionaire, has only intensified his attacks in recent weeks. Buoyed by tens of millions of dollars in television commercials — financed out of his own pocket and starring him — Mr. Steyer has become one of Mr. Trump’s most visible antagonists, firing up angry Democrats and unnerving his own party with the ferocity of his efforts.
Mr. Steyer is likely to unsettle national Democrats further in the coming weeks, with a new phase of his campaign aimed at pushing lawmakers in solidly liberal seats to endorse impeachment. Having collected more than four million email addresses from people who signed an impeachment petition, Mr. Steyer has begun prodding those voters to call congressional offices and lobby them for support.
But Steyer, who has claimed Trump is unfit for office, has remained adamant, according to the Times.
“We’re just telling the truth to the American people, and it’s an important truth,” Steyer said. “And if you don’t think it’s politically convenient for you, that’s too bad.”
Follow Penny Starr on Twitter
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.