Swing District Republicans Support McCarthy’s Impeachment Inquiry Into President Biden

Republicans in vulnerable districts in next year’s elections are increasingly voicing support for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. Democrats argue that this approach may turn out to be a political miscalculation for these Republicans.

McCarthy opted not to hold a vote to initiate the impeachment investigation, likely indicating insufficient support within his party to carry such a vote. Nevertheless, a significant number of the 18 Republicans from districts that Biden won in the 2020 election expressed their support for the impeachment inquiry, despite the possible repercussions in their constituencies.

Representative Jen Kiggans, hailing from a Virginia district that she won in 2022 but was claimed by Biden in 2020, stated, “The American public is entitled to full disclosure of the facts, and I eagerly await the inquiry’s results.”

Historical precedents suggest that impeachment proceedings do not always benefit the party pushing for it. In the 1998 elections, Republicans lost five House seats just weeks before impeaching President Bill Clinton. Democrats unexpectedly gained seats even though midterm elections generally favor the party not occupying the White House.

Republicans currently hold a razor-thin 222-212 majority in the House, and Democrats need only a few seats to retake control. Representative Suzan DelBene, who heads the Democratic House campaign arm, criticized vulnerable Republicans for neglecting their constituents’ needs while focusing on what she termed a “fraudulent impeachment.”

She stated, “Their inability to govern effectively will be highlighted as we continue our work to expand the middle class, reduce costs, and generate employment.”

Contrarily, Representative Richard Hudson, leading the campaign efforts for House Republicans, downplayed the risk impeachment proceedings pose for Republicans in swing districts, asserting that voters demand governmental transparency and accountability.

Recent polling from AP-NORC shows a sharp partisan divide on concerns about President Biden’s alleged misconduct relating to his son, Hunter Biden. Two-thirds of Republicans expressed significant concern, compared to just 7% of Democrats, while about one-third of independents also indicated high levels of concern.

A Democratic-aligned organization, the Congressional Integrity Project, has initiated digital advertising campaigns criticizing the impeachment inquiry in those 18 districts won by Biden. The campaigns argue that the inquiry is a politically motivated scheme conceived by McCarthy and Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene to aid former President Donald Trump, who is considering running again in 2024.

Several vulnerable Republicans represent districts in California and New York and will need to appeal to independents and moderates to win. Democratic strategist Brad Woodhouse pointed out that Republicans have been struggling to pass key legislative goals and that their failures will only be accentuated during an impeachment battle.

Some Republicans from swing districts have also noted that while they back McCarthy’s inquiry, they will not let it overshadow their legislative priorities. Representative Marc Molinaro of New York stated that while the inquiry would likely take up much media attention, it would not dominate his own focus.

Similarly, Representative Nick LaLota of New York said that the decision to proceed with the inquiry was McCarthy’s, emphasizing that his primary role is a fact-finding mission. He appeared untroubled about the political implications in his home district.

Freshman lawmakers and other potential dissenters, such as Representative Ken Buck of Colorado, were offered private briefings by the party leadership to alleviate any concerns they might have about advancing the inquiry.

When questioned on how he persuaded skeptical members of his party, McCarthy noted that the impeachment inquiry will allow both Republicans and Democrats to obtain answers to pending questions.

Representative James Comer, who will spearhead the inquiry, indicated that his objective is to uncover the facts. If those facts lead to impeachment, he stated, then a vote on impeachment would be unavoidable.

Only a fortnight ago, McCarthy had stated in an interview with Breitbart News that any decision to proceed with an impeachment inquiry would involve a formal vote in the House. However, he unilaterally launched the probe this week, possibly to protect vulnerable Republicans from casting a politically sensitive vote, although many claimed they would have supported it.

Representative Mike Garcia of California, who represents a district Biden won by a large margin, argued against the narrative that swing district constituents are averse to accountability. “When there’s smoke, it’s our duty to investigate whether there’s fire,” he stated.

Contributions to this report were made by Big Big News writers Stephen Groves, Farnoush Amiri, and Lisa Mascaro.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about impeachment inquiry

More about impeachment inquiry

• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Statement on Impeachment Inquiry
• AP-NORC Poll on Public Opinion about Biden Impeachment
• 1998 Midterm Elections and Impeachment
• Congressional Integrity Project’s Ad Campaign
• The Role of Swing Districts in U.S. Elections
• Statement by Representative Suzan DelBene
• House Composition and Majority
• Historical Precedence of Impeachment