How Florida's U.S. House Delegation Voted On Impeachment

FLORIDA — Florida's congressional delegation voted along party lines in the historic vote Wednesday on the first article of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump dealing with the abuse of power and the second article of impeachment dealing with obstruction of Congress.

Here’s how the Florida delegation voted:

• Matt Gaetz, District 1, Republican: No
• Neal Dunn, District 2, Republican: No
• Ted Yoho, District 3, Republican: No
• John Rutherford, District 4, Republican: No
• Al Lawson, District 5, Democrat: Yes
• Michael Waltz, District 6, Republican: No
• Stephanie Murphy, District 7, Democrat: Yes
• Bill Posey, District 8, Republican: No
• Darren Soto, District 9, Democrat: Yes
• Val Demings, District 10, Democrat: Yes
• Daniel Webster, District 11, Republican: No
• Gus Bilirakis, District 12, Republican: No
• Charlie Crist, District 13, Democrat: Yes
• Kathy Castor, District 14, Democrat: Yes
• Ross Spano, District 15, Republican: No
• Vern Buchanan, District 16, Republican: No
• Gregory Steube, District 17, Republican: No
• Brian Mast, District 18, Republican: No
• Francis Rooney, District 19, Republican: No
• Alcee Hastings, District 20, Democrat: Yes
• Lois Frankel, District 21, Democrat: Yes
• Theodore Deutch, District 22, Democrat: Yes
• Debbie Wasserman Schultz, District 23, Democrat: Yes
• Frederica Wilson, District 24, Democrat: Yes
• Mario Diaz-Balart, District 25, Republican: No
• Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, District 26, Democrat: Yes
• Donna Shalala, District 27, Democrat: Yes

Last week, a bitterly divided House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment accusing President Donald Trump of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress.

The action came after a parade of witnesses corroborated a whistleblower’s complaint that Trump held up congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, and his son Hunter. The investigation never occurred, and the aid eventually was released.

The Senate is set to hold a trial on the articles of impeachment beginning in January.

SEE: A Nation Divided: House Impeaches President Donald J. Trump

Here's what Florida's representatives said:

Matt Gaetz: "Democrats would rather trip President Trump, just to see him stumble, than see America succeed. Democrats would rather impeach the President than work together for the common good of our country and our citizens. Dems are impeaching because they want to avoid the debate on the economy, trade and immigration."

Al Lawson: "I have remained committed to conducting a fair and transparent impeachment inquiry. The evidence is clear: President Trump put himself before our country and has endangered our national security. The two articles of impeachment – Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress – presented by the Judiciary Committee this morning seek to hold the President accountable. We can no longer sit on our hands and ignore the facts. When you see a violation of the Constitution, you have no choice but to act."

Michael Waltz: "Since the day I arrived to Congress, impeaching President Trump has been the Democrats' No. 1 priority ⁠— all at the cost of actually solving the problems Americans elected us to solve. America leads when we're at our best ⁠— and this isn't America at its best. I hope that tomorrow we can finally put this partisan, divisive chapter behind us and finally get to work for the American people.

Stephanie Murphy: "Before I take any hard vote, I ask myself three questions: Is this good for my country? Is this the right thing to do for my constituents, even though some of them will disagree with me? And is this consistent with my conscience? Because I can answer 'yes' to all three of these questions, I will vote to impeach the President of the United States.

Daniel Webster: "The articles expose the bad faith of House Democrats. Blinded by their hatred of a duly-elected President, House Democrats are ignoring the facts and the role of the judicial branch in Article III of the U.S. Constitution. The constitution specifically empowers our federal courts to serve as the umpire in disputes between the legislative and executive branches. None of the witnesses or evidence confirmed Democrats’ allegations of quid pro quo, bribery or extortion. This impeachment and today’s vote are not about facts or the Constitution; it is about overturning and blocking the will of American voters."

Gus Bilirakis: "I pride myself on being a consensus-builder who works regularly across the aisle to get things done for my constituents. My legislative record affirms that premise. However, when it comes to the matter of impeachment, I am disappointed that partisan politics has brought us to the place where we are today. I have said throughout these proceedings that the entire process has been a politically motivated ruse. House leadership’s end goal of circumventing the will of the people and removing a duly-elected President of the United States is not only a national disgrace, but sets a dangerous precedent. There is absolutely no evidence that President Trump committed an impeachable offense, which is why I will vote 'no.' I remain focused on solving the problems facing our community and my constituents."

Kathy Castor: "The president abused his power, he violated his oath of office, he sought to elevate himself as a dictator or a king but we are not a monarchy. We are the United States of America. We are a republic, a democracy where the executive does not have absolute power. America was founded on a system of checks and balances. When the President withheld military aid to vulnerable Ukraine and pressed for a personal favor to manufacture dirt against a political opponent, he went too far, he undermined America's national security. He sought to sabotage our elections. He elevated his personal interests over the interests of America then tried to cover up his scandalous behavior and obstructed the investigation. He violated his oath of office but I intend to uphold mine to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. The President must be impeached today."

Vern Buchanan: "I will vote today against both articles of impeachment because they are without merit and set a dangerous precedent for our country. This political vendetta is an abuse of the impeachment process and would subvert the votes of 63 million Americans. Just because the President’s opponents are afraid he will win reelection is no excuse for weaponizing impeachment. No president in history has ever been impeached 10 months before an election. Elections are the heart of our democracy. Our founding fathers devised a simple way to remove a president that you disagree with — it’s called an election — and we have one coming up in less than a year. Let the people decide."

Gregory Steube: "Donald J. Trump has been denied any semblance of due process since the beginning of this sham impeachment inquiry. It is absurd that a sitting U.S. President has been treated in this way. The shameful vote to impeach President Trump will be a lasting stain on the House."

Brian Mast: "This hasn’t been a pursuit for justice. It’s been a pursuit for injustice. Facts be damned, they've been trying to impeach President Trump since before he even took office. I am a strong 'no.'"

Francis Rooney: "The impeachment of a president is among the most somber votes that any member of Congress can take. The process should not be rushed or based on an artificial timeline, nor should it be partisan or incomplete. It should be thorough and convincing. I repeatedly urged the leaders of the process to stay these proceedings until all executive privilege claims and refusals to deliver documents could be adjudicated by the courts, and all relevant primary sources of testimony could be heard under oath, as was the case in both the Clinton and Nixon impeachment hearings."

Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "With his conduct around Ukraine, President Trump corruptly abused his power for his own interests at direct odds with our national welfare and our Constitution. This president put his interests before those of this nation. Left unchecked, he’d do it again and has said so."

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: "We know from the President’s own words that he is inviting foreign interference into our elections for his own private, political gain. This is an urgent threat to our democracy, it’s a matter of national security, and we must all come together to defend our democracy."

Donna Shalala: "This is not a matter of politics. This is a matter of protecting the integrity of our democracy for the next generation. If protecting the Constitution were trivial, we wouldn’t have to take an oath. For over 200 years, honesty and vigilance have won out as generations of public servants have adhered to their oaths of office and met the standards of service that our democracy necessitates. We cannot let this legacy die on our watch."