Where The Houses of Representatives Stands on Impeachment

 

Where the House stands on impeachment

60 are for impeachment
59 Democrats, 1 Republican

Graphic: Andrew Witherspoon and Lazaro Gamio/Axios

Zachary Basu

Axios.com

59 House Democrats and one House Republican now publicly support launching an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, according to an Axios analysis.

Why it matters: The whip count surged in the aftermath of Robert Mueller's statement last week, but pro-impeachment Democrats still amount to only a quarter of the 235-member caucus. 

• That figure is likely to stay well below the threshold necessary to launch impeachment in the House until the moment — if it ever comes — that Speaker Nancy Pelosi gives her blessing.

By the numbers:

• 13 of the 24 Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee publicly support an impeachment inquiry. 21 are needed to refer an impeachment resolution to the House floor.
• Of the 8 Democrats that Axios identified as "influential" — the 3 top members of leadership and 5 committee chairs investigating Trump — only one publicly supports impeachment: Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters. Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler has reportedly pushed privately to open an impeachment inquiry.
• None of the 17 Democrats running in "toss-up" districts in 2020 are pro-impeachment, according to the Cook Political Report.

The big picture: Pelosi has long wagered that impeachment would be fruitless without overwhelming public support, and right now, the public isn't there. 41% of the public supported impeachment as of May 31, down significantly from an all-time high of 47% in September 2018, according to a CNN poll.

• That doesn't account for the conventional wisdom that a Republican-controlled Senate would never vote to convict Trump and remove him from office even if the House impeached him.

The bottom line: Many of the Democrats who publicly support impeachment are the same ones that are already known for being outspoken critics of the president. That masks the reality that 75% of the caucus, including its leader, remains opposed.