Here's How NJ Members Of Congress Voted On Trump's Impeachment

NEW JERSEY – New Jersey's congressional delegation largely sided with the majority of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, voting to approve two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump and charge him with abusing his office and obstructing Congress.

The New Jersey vote was 10-2 in favor on both articles, with one Democrat, Jeff Van Drew – who may not be a Democrat for long – siding with Republicans in opposing impeachment (see how they voted below).

Read more: A Nation Divided: House Impeaches President Donald J. Trump

New Jersey has 11 Democrats and one Republican in Congress; the state's sole GOP member, Chris Smith, who largely represents Mercer and Monmouth counties, voted against impeachment.

"Disagreement with or intense dislike for this or any other president of the United States is not now – nor should it ever be – grounds for impeachment,” Smith said in a statement on Thursday.

Van Drew was expected to switch to the Republican Party perhaps as early as Wednesday evening and reiterate his opposition to impeachment, but he has been silent. Read more: NJ Congressman Reportedly Switching From Democrat To Republican

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

Trump, the nation's 45th president, faces the prospect of being removed from office by Congress for high crimes and misdemeanors. Given Republican support in the Senate, however, that's considered highly unlikely.

The impeachment vote is not a conviction but roughly the equivalent of a grand jury issuing indictments. Senators, in that analogy, will serve as jurors.

Democrats in districts that represent predominately Republican areas, and who were elected to replace GOP representatives in Congress just last year, voted for impeachment.

One of them was Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who represents New Jersey's 11th District which largely covers Morris County.

Sherrill, a military veteran, called Trump's actions "a violation of the principles the country was founded upon," saying he used his office for personal gain.

"My military service taught me to put our country — not politics — first, and my time as a federal prosecutor taught me about the importance of the rule of law and of justice," she said.

"After reviewing the testimony and the statements of the president himself, it is clear that he used his office for his own personal gain," she added. "He withheld critical military aid in an effort to coerce Ukraine, a security partner, to investigate an opponent of his in the 2020 elections. Furthermore, he used every opportunity to place himself and the executive branch above the law by refusing all congressional subpoenas."

Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski, who represents the 7th District that largely covers the Union County area, said he voted to impeach President Trump because "by pressuring a foreign country to announce a criminal investigation of his political rival (former Vice President) Joe Biden, he used the powers of his office not for America but for himself."

"He not only withheld support from a country under Russian attack to extort a personal favor; he signaled that America’s foreign policy can be bought by anyone willing to interfere in our politics on his behalf," he said.

"In so doing, he endangered our national security, and violated his oath of office."

Smith, however, said the U.S. Constitution "is clear and unambiguous – impeachment of any president is permitted only for treason, bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors."

"Undoing the will of the people expressed in a free and fair election, with the proposed articles of impeachment, totally fails to meet the legal standard prescribed by the U.S. Constitution," he said. "Despite hearings and a process that were egregiously flawed and unfair, there is still no direct evidence whatsoever of any crime."

"My hope is that we are still able to get some work done to help the American people like infrastructure, veteran's benefits, environmental protections, immigration reform, reducing prescription drug cost and strengthening Social Security," he said.

Here's how they voted on both articles of impeachment:

• Democrat Donald Norcross, 1st District (Camden): Yes
• Democrat Jeff Van Drew, 2nd District (Dennis Township): No
• Democrat Andy Kim, 3rd District (Moorestown): Yes
• Republican Chris Smith, 4th District (Hamilton Township): No
• Democrat Josh Gottheimer, 5th District (Wyckoff): Yes
• Democrat Frank Pallone, 6th District (Long Branch): Yes
• Democrat Tom Malinowski, 7th District (Rocky Hill): Yes
• Democrat Albio Sires, 8th District (West New York): Yes
• Democrat Bill Pascrell, 9th District (Paterson): Yes
• Democrat Donald Payne, 10th District (Newark): Yes
• Democrat Mikie Sherrill, 11th District (Montclair): Yes
• Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman, 12th District (Ewing Township): Yes