Washington - 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 (DCCC) and obtained by CQ Roll Call, found voters supported
an impeachment investigation by a margin of 54 per cent to 43 per
cent.
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," Representative
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 per cent of
voters supported "impeaching Trump and removing him from office,"
while 44 per cent opposed going that far.
Two polling companies - ALG Research and GBAO Strategies - surveyed
1,013 likely November 2020 voters September 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 per cent approved of
starting an impeachment inquiry and 46 per cent disapproved.