Voters Don't Favor Candidates Who Want To Impeach Trump: Poll

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Members of the House of Representatives or those who are running for Congress who are in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump may need to think twice. According to a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll, a congressional candidate’s position on whether or not to impeach the president could be a motivating factor in this year’s midterm elections.

The poll found that a plurality of registered voters — 47 percent — said they would definitely vote against a candidate for Congress who wants to impeach the president. Forty-two percent would definitely vote for a candidate who has that intent, and 10 percent are not sure.

Notably, three out of 10 Democrats said they would either definitely vote against a candidate who favors impeachment (18 percent) or are unsure (12 percent).

Seventy percent of Democrats who responded to the poll would definitely vote for such a candidate.

Among Republicans, 84 percent would not back a candidate seeking to impeach President Trump, while a plurality of independents say the same thing — 47 percent.

“If the question of impeachment dominates the news this fall, like so many other voter concerns, it breaks along partisan lines,” said Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

“But, because nearly one-third of Democrats are not eager to open up this debate, it is one potential campaign issue that advantages the GOP,” he said.

According to Article One of the U.S. Constitution, the House of Representatives has the sole power of impeachment. The Senate then is in charge of the trial, and two-thirds of the senators present have to agree in order to convict.

Only two American presidents have been impeached — Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. In the both cases, the Senate did not have enough votes to convict.

Richard Nixon avoided impeachment proceedings by resigning during the Watergate scandal.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll survey of 1,011 adults was conducted April 10 through April 13, 2018, by the Marist Poll. It was sponsored in collaboration with NPR and PBS NewsHour.

The margin of error for the poll is 3.6 percent.

For the complete methodology, go here.

Photo caption: Donald Trump before the 2016 Hofstra University debate. Photo credit: Alex Costello/Patch Staff.