The 3rd Impeachment Trial in American History began on Tuesday afternoon with nearly no attention from anyone besides the major news corporations, hardcore leftists, and the coastal elites. Every common American knows that this isn’t going anywhere. Mitch McConnell has said he will not comply with the House and he’s going to go at his pace and his rules.
For a President to be removed from office, the United States Constitution states that the Senate must have 2/3 (67 votes) in favor of removal. The GOP controls the Senate 53-47, and even if they lost 4 to 5 votes from moderates, they still aren’t even close.
The only goal of this trial for the Democrats is to slow down the progress the President has made, and rile up their base. Their hope is to convince voters that Trump thinks and acts as though he is “above the law”, thus injecting doubt into his re-election campaign. This while hoping Joe Biden can keep his mouth shut up enough to win back the rust belt and get to 270 in November.
While 130 Americans a day are dying from opioid use and our national debt continues to rise past 23.2 trillion dollars, trying to remove Trump is the main issue for these smug elitists. They want to get Trump out of office to raise the hell out of taxes and open the border to continue and destroy the middle class. Any person with basic knowledge can see this and it’s going nowhere. At this point Trump is a near lock to win in November and they are scared about the idea of 4 more years.
My rant is now over, so here are my 9 key senators to watch in this impeachment trial. The list includes 5 Republicans and 4 Democrats, with 4 senators also being on my list of five Senate seats that could flip in 2020.
Susan Collins (R)- Maine
Collins is one of a handful of GOP senators to watch. A moderate, four-term Republican from Maine, Collins has the potential to have a tough re-election campaign. She’s likely to face Sara Gideon, Maine’s current state speaker of the house. Collins’ approval rating is at an all-time low at just 42%, with a 52% disapproval. This comes after voting to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court in October 2018. While Collins has certainly been a thorn for Republicans in the Senate at times, nothing can beat her incredible speech coming out to support Justice Kavanaugh. It’s unclear if she’ll vote to convict but she has said she wants witnesses to testify.
Doug Jones (D)- Alabama
Jones is one of a couple senators on this list who really has nothing to gain either way. Jeff Sessions is on a mission to take back his old Senate seat and even if Jones votes against impeachment, he really doesn’t stand a chance against Sessions in a deep red state. Trump is a lock to win Alabama, a state he has an approval rating of 60+% in. While Jones has said he’s concerned with the repercussions of the results of impeachment on the country, he is still undecided. Jones may listen to party leaders and vote in favor, especially if he feels he has no shot against Jeff “Mr. Magoo” Sessions.
Cory Gardner (R)- Colorado
Gardner is the third member of this list up for re-election this fall. He certainly has a better chance of winning re-election then the first two but it’ll be difficult to win in a state that hasn’t seen another Republican win statewide election since George W. Bush in 2004. He stated this week that he is opposing any new witnesses in the trial. Gardner is one of the least likely on this list to vote against his party, but if he gets desperate he may just have to.
Joe Manchin (D)- West Virginia
Manchin is one of the few JFK-type Democrats left in existence who has been willing to vote against Chuck Schumer. During the early stages of the Brett Kavanaugh saga, Manchin was asked if he’d follow Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and fiercly oppose his nomination. Manchin replied saying “I’ll be 71 years old in August, you’re going to whip me? Kiss my you know what.” Manchin has still called for John Bolton and others to testify but a report on Tuesday said that he as well as Jones and another moderate Democrat are considering voting to acquit Trump. It is also worth noting that Manchin’s home state of West Virginia is very fond of Trump.
Certain senators enjoy immense popularity in their home state to the point where big votes don’t even matter, and Manchin is one of these senators.
Mitt Romney (R)- Utah
Mitt – or “Mitt the shit” as I like to call him – has brought only excitement to this impeachment trial. Romney is one of four Republicans (all on this list) who have supported calling witnesses to the stand but has voted with the party to deny Chuck Schumer’s proposal of taking documents from the White House. You already know Romney is gonna vote no but he’s gonna try to get as much attention as possible, which is standard Mitt Romeny practice. At least he left his Jazz jersey at home.
Kyrsten Sinema (D)- Arizona
Sinema is one of if not the most unique senators on this list. She is an atheist who was sworn in last year on a copy of the Constitution while also being the first ever openly LGBT member in the Senate. Despite this, she has a solid record of bipartisanship. She voted to confirm AG William Barr while also voting against the Green New Deal last summer. She has her seat till 2024 so there’s really no pressure on her and if this circus continues to get out of hand, she could very likely flip on her party.
Lamar Alexander (R)- Tennessee
Alexander is at the near end of his fourth term and is not seeking re-election this year. He’s open to witnesses and voted against a resolution ending the trial in the Senate without further conclusion. Alexander is a never-Trump Republican who supported Marco Rubio in the primaries and did not vote for Trump in the general. There’s a chance that since he is not seeking re-election, Alexander could flip. However, it appears unlikely.
Gary Peters (D)- Michigan
The most unknown Senator in America will certainly be watched as he continues to prepare for re-election campaigning during the trial. Peters will likely face John James, a young African American conservative businessman. Despite trailing in some polls by nearly 15 points in September 2018, James was able to get late support and only lost by 6.5 points. This may seem pointless, but it’s worth noting that he was facing Debbie Stabenow, who is very well known and popular in Michigan, and who won her seat the previous time in 2012 by 20 points. Peters will probably vote in favor of removal but he’s gonna have to answer some difficult questions when he goes home to campaign.
Lisa Murkowski (R)- Alaska
Murkowski was the only republican to vote against confirming Justice Kavanaugh in 2018. Outside of Collins, she is likely the most liberal Republican in the Senate and has been a forever never-Trumper. She has gone back and forth on the topic saying that she wants witnesses to go on stand and even criticized McConnell when he said he’d work with the White House once the trial was in the Senate last month. She knows the case was mishandled in the House and being in a safe state like Alaska doesn’t have the pressure like Collins. Her vote will come down to how the trial plays out, and if any new evidence is found.