Where GOP ‘Impeachment 10’ stand into final 2022 primaries
Newslooks- CNN
Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington state managed to do something that’s proven to be quite rare for the small band of House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump last year: he kept his political future alive.
Over the weekend, Newhouse would emerge out of the top-two primary in the state’s 4th Congressional District along with Democrat Doug White. That makes Newhouse just the second member of the “Impeachment 10” to make it to the general election.
Newhouse’s fellow Washington Republican and impeachment backer, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, conceded in her bid for reelection on Tuesday evening, although CNN has not projected the second place finisher in the 3rd District after already projecting the top spot for a Democrat.
Just one other primary battle remains for the 10 House Republicans who supported the second impeachment of Trump — and have subsequently been a constant target of his wrath. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the vice chair of the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack that led to Trump’s impeachment, is on the ballot next Tuesday.
Ahead of that election, let’s take a look how the members of the “Impeachment 10” have fared this midterm cycle.
Two won
* Newhouse advanced to the November ballot following last Tuesday’s primary despite facing a Trump-backed challenger, Loren Culp. Washington’s 4th District, which Newhouse has represented since 2015, is a safe Republican seat.
* Rep. David Valadao of California is the only House Republican impeachment backer who ran for reelection who did not face a Trump-backed primary challenger. Like Newhouse, Valadao benefitted from California’s top two-primary system, as he narrowly edged out Republican Chris Mathys, who ran as a Trump supporter, for the second spot on the general election ballot in the state’s battleground 22nd District. Valadao also received a valuable endorsement from his district neighbor, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Three lost
* Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan lost his primary last Tuesday to John Gibbs, who has Trump’s endorsement. House Democrats’ campaign arm caused an uproar by boosting Gibbs, an election denier, in the Republican primary in hopes of making the state’s 3rd District an easier target in the fall.
* Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina was handily defeated by the Trump-backed state Rep. Russell Fry in the state’s 7th District in June.
* Herrera Beutler conceded in Washington’s 3rd District on Tuesday, where she trails Trump-backed Joe Kent, a retired special forces officer, by about 900 votes. CNN already projected Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez would claim the first spot on the general election ballot, but has not yet made a projection for the second spot.
Four are retiring
* Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan decided this past spring against seeking a 19th term in Congress. He would have been forced to run in a newly drawn district against the Trump-backed Rep. Bill Huizenga, who ended up being unopposed in last week’s primary.
* Rep. John Katko of New York announced at the beginning of the year that he would retire from the state’s 24th District at the end of the term. New York’s congressional primaries, the first to take place under a new map, are scheduled for August 23.
* Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of two Republicans on the January 6 committee, declined last fall to run for reelection in the state’s 16th District, clearing the way for GOP Rep. Darin LaHood, whose district was eliminated following the 2020 Census. Trump later endorsed LaHood.
* Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio was the first of the group to call it quits last September. Trump had initially endorsed a former aide, Max Miller, to unseat Gonzalez. But after redistricting, Miller ended up running in (and winning) the GOP primary for a different seat.
One is TBD
* Cheney faces off against the Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman on August 16 for Wyoming’s sole House seat. Despite running in a state that voted overwhelmingly for Trump, she is leaning hard into criticism of the former President. Last week, her campaign launched an ad featuring her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, calling Trump a “coward.”
The Point: Regardless of how the rest of the election season plays out, there will be significantly fewer GOP impeachment backers in the House come 2023, meaning Trump’s grip on the conference will be that much firmer.
