Biden impeachment push is making life complicated for vulnerable House Republicans in swing districts
The U.S. House of Representatives' small GOP majority has voted to formalize an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. It remains to be seen where this effort will lead; The New Republic's Michael Tomasky has predicted that Biden will be impeached but acquitted in a U.S. Senate trial — and enjoy a solid reelection victory when the impeachment alienates swing voters.
An impeachment, as Tomasky sees it, will give Biden's 2024 campaign a major boost.
House Republicans voted unanimously to formalize an impeachment inquiry, including those in swing districts. House Democrats, meanwhile, unanimously voted "nay."
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In an article published by Politico on December 14, Politico reporters Nick Reisman and Sejal Govindarao stress that House Republicans in swing districts are caught between a rock and a hard place: They are afraid of offend their party's hardcore base, but they also realize that a Biden impeachment could increase their vulnerability in 2024.
"Vulnerable GOP members are trying to perform a high-stakes balancing act: Support the inquiry, but refrain from a full-throated endorsement of impeachment," the reporters explain. "And whether they are successful could determine which party controls the chamber after 2024."
According to Reisman and Govindarao, Democratic leaders "are gearing up to make sure an impeachment push proves to be a potent issue for their candidates next year, in addition to abortion rights, as they try to offset Biden's weakness at the top of the ticket."
Neal Kwatra, a Democratic consultant in New York, told Politico, "They're gift wrapping an issue for Democrats to prosecute against them in 2024. Most of these guys were off-year wins and have never had to defend these seats in a presidential election year. With Democrats focused on pickups in New York, this gives them fresh meat and motivation."
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Former Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) says there is strong support for a Biden impeachment among the GOP base but acknowledges that House Republicans could be vulnerable.
Sweeney told Politico, "It could be risky. It could also be risky to do nothing. It depends on how thorough and how effective the Republican majority is at communicating the evidence they've got.”
Politico's full report is available at this link.
