WASHINGTON — Republican senators who could be vulnerable in next year’s elections, including some who have declined to say whether it would be appropriate for a president to use U.S. aid to get political favors from a foreign leader, have signed on to a measure condemning the House impeachment process.
Their support for a resolution introduced Thursday by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, both Republicans, shows the Republican Party is rallying behind criticism of Democrats’ tactics as a way to blunt questions about President Trump’s behavior.
The resolution calls on the House to vote to open the inquiry and to provide Trump with “fundamental constitutional protections” of due process. By Friday afternoon, all but three Republican senators – Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah – had signed on as co-sponsors.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is one of three Republicans who are considered vulnerable in the 2020 race but who have not signed on to a Senate resolution condemning the House impeachment inquiry. Patrick Semansky/Associated Press
Three House committees have been using closed-door depositions to investigate whether Trump withheld congressionally approved aid to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate his political rivals. House Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff has said the testimony is being kept secret to prevent witnesses from coordinating their stories, but Republicans on the committees have had an opportunity to ask questions and information from the depositions will be made public in the future.
THE SUPPORTERS
Three Republican senators in races that Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates as Toss-Ups have co-sponsored the resolution: Arizona Sen. Martha McSally, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner.
Gardner, who is one of two senators running in a state Hillary Clinton won in 2016, was not listed as an original co-sponsor. It’s unclear when he signed on, but he was on a list of co-sponsors that Graham tweeted Friday afternoon.
Gardner’s office did not respond to a request for comment, but he has criticized the impeachment process in the past. He dodged reporters’ questions earlier this month about whether it is appropriate for a president to ask a foreign government to investigate a political opponent.
“Here’s what we see in the House of Representatives: You see a very partisan process taking place,” Gardner said.
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, the only woman in Republican leadership, has also signed onto the resolution and is in a race Inside Elections rates Lean Republican. Two other Republican senators, John Cornyn of Texas and David Perdue of Georgia, whose races Inside Elections rate Likely Republican, are also co-sponsors.
Graham and McConnell are both set to face well-funded Democratic opponents in 2020. Former South Carolina state party chairman Jaime Harrison is challenging Graham, while Marine veteran Amy McGrath is taking on McConnell.
But Democrats face an uphill climb in their states, which Trump carried by double digits in 2016. Inside Elections rates both races Solidly Republican.
Two retiring Republican senators – Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming – were also added as co-sponsors on Friday. Alexander’s potential successor, Republican Bill Hagerty, a former U.S. ambassador to Japan who has been endorsed by Trump, announced Friday that he supports Graham’s proposal.
Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is resigning at the end of the year due to health issues, had initially not co-sponsored the resolution since he has not been in Washington this week because of a pinched nerve and back pain. His spokesperson told CQ Roll Call Friday that Isakson has decided to co-sponsor the resolution, and that the outgoing senator “wants to make sure he’s doing his part as a member of the Senate to ensure a fair process.”
THE HOLDOUTS
Collins, one of the most vulnerable Republican senators, has not joined her colleagues on the resolution and her office did not respond to a request for comment. Clinton carried Maine by 3 percentage points in 2016.
Collins has shied away from commenting on impeachment, noting that she would be a juror if the House sends articles of impeachment for trial in the Senate. Inside Elections rates Collins’ race as Tilt Republican.
The other holdouts on Graham’s resolution are not running in 2020.
Romney, the Republican Party’s 2012 presidential nominee, has raised concerns about Trump’s actions. He has not co-sponsored the resolution but appears open to it, telling reporters Thursday that he would like to see the House vote to open the impeachment inquiry.
Murkowski has also been known to break with her party. She recently told the Alaska Daily News that the House’s impeachment probe should be more transparent.
There are no immediate plans for a vote on Graham’s resolution, which has been referred to the Rules and Administration Committee.
Niels Lesniewski and Simone Pathé contributed to this report.
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