When House Democrats return to Washington next month, their ranks will include at least 30 more members who have announced their support for impeachment proceedings since the summer recess began, bringing the number to well over half the caucus at 134. Democratic members in districts both swingy and dark blue faced a barrage of questions about impeachment as they talked with voters during their vacations.
The very first town hall question fielded by California Rep. Katie Porter, one of the first vulnerable House Democrats to voice support for an inquiry, was on impeachment. Her answer drew a robust round of applause. “People said, ‘Well, this might be risky, you might not get re-elected,’” Porter told the crowd. “I said, ‘I am here to do what’s right.’”
On the other end of the spectrum was Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch, a moderate who doesn't support an impeachment investigation and drew testy denunciations from a crowd of some 200 activists as he tried to explain his position. Lynch has already drawn primary challenges from the left in his safe-blue district in the Boston suburbs.
Politico reports the impeachment fervor that hit Democrats’ town halls appeared to be more organic in nature, lacking some of the hallmarks of a more coordinated campaign like matching T-shirts and signs. Impeachment advocates also demonstrated intricate knowledge of the Mueller report and ongoing legal battles between Congress and the White House, a sign that Democratic voters are paying close attention and their sentiments arise from something deeper than just knee-jerk anti-Trumpism. Attendees not only probed the legal underpinnings of an impeachment inquiry, they name-dropped central players like House Judiciary chair Jerry Nadler and former White House counsel Don McGahn.
“If we let [Trump] get away with this, my fear is, there will not be a Constitution,” one woman told New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, drawing applause as she challenged the former federal prosecutor, who still hasn't backed initiating proceedings.
Sherrill responded by arguing that if Democrats didn't “make a strong enough case” to the American people, Trump would be acquitted, leaving him exonerated by two branches of government. If, however, Trump defied a court order, Sherrill said she would back impeachment.
In a call with her caucus last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi continued to urge patience, arguing that the public wasn't "there" yet on impeachment. "Give me the leverage I need to make sure that we’re ready and it is as strong as it can be,” she said, seemingly arguing for more time.
But the House impeachment battle will ultimately come down to the central question heading into 2020: Do you prioritize your base, or hew to the middle with an eye to swing voters? A Monmouth poll last week found that 72% of Democrats support impeachment while 39% of independents do—and given Trump's crazy past week, those numbers may actually grow. But wherever the public may be on the matter, the Democratic base seems plenty ready for Trump’s impeachment.