The impeachment of President Trump has built some sharp divides within the Republican Party, as much of the debate centers around what the party will look like after the Trump presidency.
And for many lawmakers, the issue is more complicated than simply being for or against impeachment. For some, it’s about a 2024 presidential run, and for others - the 2022 midterms.
Dr. David McCuan, chair and professor in the Sonoma State University Department of Political Science, said some want to move the party away from “Trumpism,” while others look to embrace it.
“It doesn’t mean that the Trump movement goes away, it maybe goes underground,” McCuan said. “But who will be the heir apparent to that? It’s going to be really up in the air and difficult juggling that moving forward.”
McCuan said Mitch McConnell is the wild card to look out for. While he said McConnell ultimately supporting a conviction of President Trump is still a long shot, there is a political calculus to his maneuver.
“Even though there’s a tough Senate map for Republicans in 2022, they’re not out of the woods in the sense that they may be able to get back into a place where they can win some seats and do better than expected, just like they did this past November,” McCuan said. “So he’s playing the longer game here.”
McCuan said that the GOP’s fracture splits through its more conservative freedom caucus.
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