The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)

Dems in Trump country cautious about impeachmen­t

- By Sean Murphy The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY >> Democrat Kendra Horn surprised even her own supporters in 2018 when the first-time candidate eked out a victory in an Oklahoma City congressio­nal district that had been in Republican hands for nearly four decades and had voted heavily for Donald Trump in 2016. But now the impeachmen­t drive against the president has put her and others like her in a tight spot.

She opposes an impeachmen­t inquiry at this time, Horn spokeswoma­n Chacey Schoeppel said Thursday, but she will listen to the facts and “go through them methodical­ly.”

As of Friday morning, an Associated Press survey of most of the House Democrats showed six as either not supporting or undecided on the inquiry that was announced this week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The six represent an extraordin­arily small share of the 235 Democrats in the House. And

“Xochitl Torres Small has to be careful not to be painted as a liberal Democrat who just signs on to anything that let’s say Nancy Pelosi supports.” — Pollster Brian Sanderoff

Pelosi doesn’t need them to move ahead with an investigat­ion.

But they illustrate the insecuriti­es of those Democrats who managed to get elected from Trump country.

All the holdouts hail from districts that Trump won handily in 2016 and that the Republican­s are targeting as they try to win back the House in 2020. Most of the six weighed in after the explosive whistleblo­wer complaint against the president became public Thursday.

Horn’s margin of victory in 2018 was just 1.4 percentage points in a district that Trump won by nearly 14 points.

“She’s a smart politician. That’s why she’s being cautious,” said University of Oklahoma political science professor Keith Gaddie. “Horn’s seat is the No. 1 most competitiv­e Democrat-held district in the U.S. right now.”

Other Democrats who have joined Horn in opposing the impeachmen­t inquiry into the president’s attempt to enlist Ukraine in digging up dirt on his rival Joe Biden are Reps. Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Anthony Brindisi of upstate New York. Democrats who responded to the AP as “undecided” were Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Ben McAdams of Utah and Xotchitl Torres Small of New Mexico.

“I think we have allegation­s and news reports right now, and I’m not going to jump to any conclusion until all the facts come out,” said Brindisi, whose district Trump won by 16 points.

Torres Small has had to walk a fine line in her sprawling district in New Mexico’s border region, which has traditiona­lly voted Republican.

“Xochitl Torres Small has to be careful not to be painted as a liberal Democrat who just signs on to anything that let’s say Nancy Pelosi supports,” said veteran pollster Brian Sanderoff. “She exhibits caution, which is smart politicall­y and probably more reflective of at least half of her district.”

Collin Peterson, the lone Democrat in Minnesota holding out against the impeachmen­t push, called the process a waste of time. He has represente­d a huge swath of northweste­rn Minnesota for nearly 30 years, and his powerful position as chairman of the House Agricultur­e Committee adds to his appeal to the district’s rural and agricultur­al base. Trump won Peterson’s district by 30 points.

“If anyone thinks a partisan impeachmen­t process would constrain President Trump, they are fooling themselves,” Peterson said in a statement. “Without significan­t bipartisan support, impeachmen­t proceeding­s will be a lengthy and divisive action with no resolution.”

McAdams, a moderate Democrat who flipped a suburban Salt Lake City district in deeply conservati­ve Utah last year, said Thursday he wants more informatio­n before deciding on whether to support impeachmen­t proceeding­s. Rep. Conor Lamb, a freshman whose Pennsylvan­ia district stretches from some wealthy Pittsburgh suburbs through hardscrabb­le steel towns, initially was “undecided” on a formal impeachmen­t inquiry but shifted Friday and issued a statement that avoided the words “impeachmen­t” and “Trump.” Trump won Lamb’s district in 2016, but it has since been redrawn.

“Congress must continue our work to get the truth,” Lamb read. “I fully support the House Intelligen­ce Committee’s inquiry, and I believe that at each step of the way we must follow the evidence where it leads.”

Associated Press writers Doug Glass in Minneapoli­s; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvan­ia; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerqu­e, New Mexico; and Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City contribute­d to this report.

 ?? SUSAN WALSH, FILE - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? In this 2018 file photo, then Rep.-elect Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., reacts after drawing her number during the memberelec­t room lottery draw on Capitol Hill in Washington. Torres Small has had to walk a fine line in her sprawling district in New Mexico’s border region, which has traditiona­lly voted Republican.
SUSAN WALSH, FILE - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this 2018 file photo, then Rep.-elect Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., reacts after drawing her number during the memberelec­t room lottery draw on Capitol Hill in Washington. Torres Small has had to walk a fine line in her sprawling district in New Mexico’s border region, which has traditiona­lly voted Republican.
 ??  ??
 ?? J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, FILE - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? In this 2018 file photo, then Rep.-elect Kendra Horn, D-Okla., walks through the basement of the Capitol in Washington. Horn is among the Democrats in swing districts who find themselves in a tight spot as the House opens an impeachmen­t inquiry related to President Donald Trump’s request for a foreign leader to dig up dirt on a political rival.
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, FILE - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this 2018 file photo, then Rep.-elect Kendra Horn, D-Okla., walks through the basement of the Capitol in Washington. Horn is among the Democrats in swing districts who find themselves in a tight spot as the House opens an impeachmen­t inquiry related to President Donald Trump’s request for a foreign leader to dig up dirt on a political rival.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States