In his first town hall telephone since he voted to impeach former President Trump, a voter told Congressman Tom Rice in South Carolina that his decision was “inexcusable.”
“Next time, I don’t think you’ll be elected,” said his constituent from Myrtle Beach, the district Rice has represented since 2013. ‘I’m not happy with you. And I certainly will not vote for you again. So if you can think of a way to redeem yourself, I’m all ears. ‘
But the next caller, an 80-year-old woman, praised Rice for the “tremendous courage” he showed by voting to impeach.
“If you want a congressman who will bow to bullies … that will go with the crowd, ‘Oh everyone on this side voted this way, so I better vote that way so people at home don’t ask questions I – if that’s the man you want, I’m not your man, ”Rice said.
“But if you want someone who stands up for what is right and who protects our constitution as I swore, then I am your man.”
For Rice and the nine other House Republicans who voted to impeach, Mr. Trump’s speech before the attack on the Capitol and his long silence as rioters broke through the building was reason enough to join the Democrats to impeach the president a second time. .
But their decision immediately met with backlash from many voters, local parties and their Republican counterparts.
Six of the eight Republican presidents in Dan Newhouse’s district of Washington have requested his resignation (Newhouse said in a statement that he will not resign).
Three of the Republicans who voted to impeach already face primary challenges. In Wyoming, three candidates applied to challenge Representative Liz Cheney, the third-placed House Republican. In his campaign announcement, Senator Anthony Bouchard said Cheney’s impeachment vote shows “how far she’s out of touch with Wyoming.”
At the Capitol, Cheney, the most senior Republican woman in the House, is confronted with calls to step down as caucus chair. She will face the same pressure at home when Florida Congressman and Trump ally Matt Gaetz travel to Wyoming on Thursday. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, angered by the infighting, told Republicans on Wednesday during a conference call to “cut this shit out.”
Former house president John Boehner will host a virtual fundraiser for Cheney in February, according to an invitation from CBS News.
A poll released Wednesday by Mr Trump’s pollster found that a significant majority of Republicans in Wyoming take an unfavorable view of Cheney and disapprove of her vote on impeachment.
But Natrona County Republican Chairman Joseph McGinley said he has seen mixed reactions to her from the state’s second most populous county, saying there is a general trust in her and a “silent majority” of the state. Republicans support her.
The Republican State Party was more critical of Cheney’s decision, calling her vote a “real mockery of Wyoming.” “The consensus is clear that those who contact the party strongly disagree with Representative Cheney’s decision and actions,” the Wyoming GOP said in a statement.
Peter Nicolaysen, Natrona County’s state commissioner, fired back at the state party’s leadership in an email, raising doubts about the clarity of “the consensus.”
Maybe we only hear from the loudest Republicans? Time will tell, I suppose, ”he wrote.
In Michigan’s 3rd district, Tom Norton wasted no time launching a primary campaign against Republican Peter Meijer after his impeachment vote. And he hires a former Trump campaign executive in Michigan to temporarily run his campaign.
“Republicans in the district feel their trust has been broken,” Norton said. “If you accuse someone and violate their due process, that’s a huge problem.” Norton took on Meijer in the 2020 Republican primaries, finishing third with 16% of the vote.
Meijer is a freshman who held the seat of Libertarian Congressman Justin Amash, who cast his own vote to impeach Mr. Trump in 2019. Meijer was one of two GOP freshmen who voted to impeach.
“It may have been an act of political suicide, but it was what I felt was necessary for the good of the country, to be accountable at the moment, but also to pave a way to move forward”, Meijer told the Detroit Free Press the day. of his voice.
Ohio Congressman Anthony Gonzalez is also fairly new to Congress, entering his second term.
Gonzalez said he voted for impeachment because Trump had helped “organize and incite a crowd,” and it was “the full scope of the events leading up to January 6, including the lack of a response from the president.” forced him to support impeachment.
Doug Deeken, chairman of the Republican Party in Wayne County, thinks Gonzalez was “hounded” to participate in a “hasty” impeachment trial. But he also said potential challengers would be “stupid” to declare before redistributing.
Portage County GOP Chair Amanda Suffecool said she has heard from donors who are provisionally closing money to Gonzalez, although she noted it’s still early days.
South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick couldn’t count how many donors have shut down Rice, but he suspects it will be a problem for him.
“The base of the party, they are very upset. I think that will show itself in 2022,” he said.
However, Rick Scott, a Myrtle Beach resident, a regular donor to Rice, said he is proud of his congressman for his decision. He will continue to support Rice and has not heard any fellow donors say they will be leaving the ship.
“I felt like [his vote] might give him some grief, but he did the only thing a decent person could do, “he said.” My wife tells me that Facebook is full of people who don’t support it. But there’s a reason I’m not on Facebook. “
Chris Ekstrom, chairman of the Courageous Conservatives PAC, says he hopes to raise $ 5 to 10 million to deal with Republicans facing impeachment. His main targets include Cheney, Gonzalez and Rice.
“I’m going to send Liz Cheney a Valentine’s Day card because she’s going to be the biggest fund-raising campaign we’ve ever had for sitting Republicans in Congress,” Ekstrom said.
In competitive districts, GOP donor Dan Eberhart said some donors could step in to support the Republican candidate they believe has a better chance of winning in November.
The 2022 house maps have not yet been drawn, but three of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach represent districts Trump won by less than five points. Two represent districts that President Biden has won.
“Taking back the House is a major concern among the donors that I am talking about,” said Eberhart. “I think the donor class will eventually get angry with primary challengers who make winning in general more complicated.”
Opposition to House Republicans backing impeachment showed that senators who would be re-elected in 2022 would see what awaits them if they vote to convict Mr. Trump. Forty-five GOP senators supported a motion by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul to declare the upcoming trial unconstitutional. The only Republican who did not join them was Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski.
Tuesday’s vote makes it highly unlikely that 17 Republican senators would vote to condemn the former president. Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the number two Senate Republican to be reelected in 2022, told reporters that the vote “ binds no one once the trial begins, ” but said it is “ indicative of where many people are heads. ”
Democrats have taken a step to disapprove of Mr. Trump, although it is not clear if that will receive further support from Republican senators who have run for re-election.
“The specter of a Trump-branded Republican to challenge someone in 2022 is very high,” said Eberhart. “Seeing a Trump rally for an incumbent challenger who left Trump is a pretty powerful incentive to keep people in line.”
Members of the Republican National Committee have debated whether Mr. Trump played a role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Demetra DeMonte, an RNC committee woman from Illinois, proposed a resolution last week calling the House impeachment “illegal” and urged every Senate Republican to “oppose this unconstitutional bogus impeachment proceeding prompted by a radical and reckless Democratic. majority.”
But Bill Palatucci, a New Jersey RNC commissioner, opposed the resolution because it “did not recognize the direct role of former President Trump in instigating the uprising.” He argued that the RNC could help heal the country by condemning Mr Trump’s role.
McDaniel released a statement on Wednesday not referring to the impeachment as illegal, but the Senate trial has been called “ unconstitutional. ”
“I join the vast majority of Senate Republicans who are against it,” she added.
Rebecca Kaplan contributed to the reporting.