Jan. 6 indictment implications for remaining Republicans who voted to impeach Trump.
Only Two House Republicans Remain Who Voted to Impeach Trump
There are just two House Republicans left who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. His new indictment related to the riot and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election could present a renewed challenge for these representatives in the 2024 election.
Trump Indicted for Riot and Election Meddling
On Tuesday night, a federal grand jury indicted Trump regarding the 2021 riot and attempts to meddle with the results of the 2020 election. Special counsel Jack Smith brought four new charges against the former president, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
High-Profile Indictment Reignites Election Controversy
The high-profile indictment has the potential to renew feelings surrounding the 2020 presidential election, the breach of the Capitol, and the fallout of both.
Surviving the Primary Challenges
Following Jan. 6, 2021, 10 House Republicans voted to impeach Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” These Republicans included Reps. Liz Cheney (WY), Tom Rice (SC), Dan Newhouse (WA), Adam Kinzinger (IL), Anthony Gonzalez (OH), Fred Upton (MI), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA), Peter Meijer (MI), John Katko (NY), and David Valadao (CA).
Most of the representatives later announced they wouldn’t seek reelection in the 2022 midterm elections. Those who did were challenged by Trump-supporting opponents. Only two survived those primary challenges and won reelection: Newhouse and Valadao.
Post-Trump Era Dominated by Fallout
Despite Trump being out of office, the years since his departure have been dominated by the aftermath of his actions following the 2020 election, as well as the discovery of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The former president’s choice to enter the 2024 contest for president further established his prominence in politics.
Primary Challenges Looming
Newhouse won handily against his Democratic opponent in 2022, with two-thirds of the vote. However, in the state’s nonpartisan primary, he faced several Republican challengers, one of whom was within 6,000 votes of him. In 2024, he faces a primary challenge from Jerrod Sessler, who says he was in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.
“He is too quiet when we need him to be vocal & too proud to admit he made a mistake. [Newhouse] has lost trust with the people of Central Washington,” Sessler posted on social media, campaigning on his opponent’s impeachment vote.
Valadao’s district in California is more competitive between Democrats and Republicans. Despite surviving the primary, the California Republican only beat his Democratic opponent in 2022 by roughly 3,000 votes. The same Democratic challenger, Rudy Salas, is challenging him again. Salas is a centrist Democrat and touts himself as such to voters in the district, explaining that he supports law enforcement and has stood up to the Democratic Party in California when necessary.
Valadao’s seat is rated as “lean Republican” by the Cook Political Report.
Challenges Ahead in the 2024 Primary
The congressmen could run into trouble in the 2024 primary, given that approval for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has increased since 2021, according to an Economist/YouGov poll from January. Disapproval for the event was highest directly after, at 81% among all adult citizens. Two years later, it has fallen to 64%. Approval increased from 9% to 20%.
Further, strong disapproval of the riot and breach of the Capitol has decreased across party affiliations. More than half of Republicans initially disapproved strongly. In 2023, that number fell to 28%. Strong disapproval among independents also decreased by double digits.
Neither Newhouse nor Valadao has released statements on the latest indictments of Trump.
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