DCCC polling shows half of voters support impeaching Trump
House Democrats’ campaign arm shared polling as lawmakers returned home for two-week recess
The House Democrats’ campaign arm had a parting message as members headed back home for a two-week recess Friday night: A new poll shows more than half of likely voters support opening an impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump.
The poll, commissioned by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and obtained by CQ Roll Call, found voters supported an impeachment investigation by a margin of 54 percent to 43 percent.
With the majority of House Democrats coming out this week in support of an impeachment investigation, the DCCC “immediately went into the field to get a snapshot of the current sentiment,” Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, the DCCC chairwoman, wrote in an email to her caucus Friday night.
The results, if accurate, show that allegations that Trump asked the new president of Ukraine to investigate possible corruption involving the son of former Vice President Joe Biden may be resonating with the public.
After news of the Ukraine phone call were revealed last weekend, a wave of moderates, including those in competitive districts, came out this week in support of beginning an impeachment investigation, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an official impeachment inquiry Tuesday. Democratic leaders have been trying to allay fears about the potential political cost some members may face at home, especially those who won districts Trump had carried in 2016 and helped flip control of the chamber.
Beyond simply opening an investigation, the poll found 50 percent of voters supported “impeaching Trump and removing him from office,” while 44 percent opposed going that far.
Two polling firms — ALG Research and GBAO Strategies — surveyed 1,013 likely November 2020 voters Sept. 26-27 via an opt-in online panel.
Republicans have accused Democrats of trying to overturn the results of the 2016 election by finding any reason to oust Trump from office.
Earlier Friday, an NBC/PBS NewsHour/Maris poll of 864 adults nationwide that was released Friday showed 49 percent approved of starting an impeachment inquiry and 46 percent disapproved.
When told that Trump “asked the president of Ukraine to investigate a potential political opponent,” 55 percent said it “requires investigation” while 43 percent said it was “just politics.”
Opinion flipped, however, when people were asked whether House Democrats should vote to impeach Trump if the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, decided not to convict him. Some 47 percent said it was worth it to impeach in that case, while 49 percent said it was not worth it.
While Pelosi has backed launching an impeachment inquiry, support among House Democrats is not unanimous.
Of the 44 members on the DCCC’s Frontline program for vulnerable incumbents, eight have not backed an impeachment inquiry, all of whom represent districts Trump won by 5 points or more in 2016. Six of the eight are in districts Trump carried by double digits.
The holdouts in the Frontline program include Jared Golden of Maine; Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey; Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico; Max Rose and Anthony Brindisi of New York; Kendra Horn of Oklahoma; Ben McAdams of Utah; and Joe Cunningham of South Carolina.
