House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has repeatedly made clear that, after President Donald Trump solicited Ukrainian leaders to announce investigations that personally benefitted him, the decision to launch impeachment proceedings wasn't a political maneuver, but a constitutional mandate.
The move came after years of Trump's supporters, as well as some critics, insisted that impeachment would be political suicide for the Democrats.
Since shortly after the inquiry's announcement in September, support for impeachment outweighed its oppositon as more revelations surfaced of Trump's dealings with Ukraine, but his 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale attempted to show that Pelosi's move to impeach would lose Democrats their House majority.
He chose Democratic Congresswoman Kendra Horn of Oklahoma's 5th District as an example. Horn defeated Republican incumbent Steve Russell in the 2018 midterms, marking the first time in 44 years that a Democrat won the seat. Trump won Oklahoma with over 65% of the vote in 2016.
Parscale gloated that Horn's support for impeachment would inevitably result in her defeat, and he thought he brought receipts to show it.
Nancy Pelosi is marching members of her caucus off the plank and into the abyss. Impeachment is killing her freshm… https://t.co/yph302Wma5— Brad Parscale (@Brad Parscale) 1575582007.0
It wasn't a surprise to anyone that the Democratic Horn would be vulnerable in the Republican stronghold, with an uphill battle to reelection whether she supported impeachment or not.
But one number surprised everyone: support for impeachment in Oklahoma's deep red 5th District is at 45%.
As Washington Post reporter Mike DeBonis and others pointed out, the number should be far more concerning to Trump's supporters than to Democrats.
If you are telling Dem strategists that OK-05 (Trump+14, Romney+19) is 45% pro-impeach, I'm guessing they are going… https://t.co/oVFlnYMSuN— Mike DeBonis (@Mike DeBonis) 1575585755.0
@parscale Wow, 45% of voters in her district want Trump impeached? In Oklahoma? That’s amazing. Thanks for getting the word out.— Kevin M. Kruse (@Kevin M. Kruse) 1575585753.0
@parscale That district went +14 Trump and you’re saying 45% now want him impeached? Wow!!— Molly Knight (@Molly Knight) 1575587690.0
Trump won this district 53-40 and yet impeachment is only underwater 7 points in a GOP *internal poll.* I don't th… https://t.co/B5P65wPoPS— Josh Jordan (@Josh Jordan) 1575594186.0
Plenty of people have dunked on Parscale for tweeting out a poll showing 45% support for impeachment in one of the… https://t.co/bbHSxec5QH— Tom Bonier (@Tom Bonier) 1575597442.0
Some people were confused: If impeachment support really was so harmful to vulnerable Democrats, why would Parscale warn them? The conclusion was that Parscale was using the poll to pressure unsure Democratic lawmakers.
I'm as skeptical about this polling as I would be about a poker player bragging about having awesome cards mid-hand… https://t.co/rAHZHOkblB— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1575585114.0
Idiots like Brad @Parscale think you’re as stupid as he is. If this was really true, only a fool would alert his o… https://t.co/lKWyV5SO5E— Tea Pain (@Tea Pain) 1575594755.0
Think about this for a sec. If what he says were true, Brad and pals would be be very hush hush about it. The onl… https://t.co/muuRTMVXKD— Chris Vickery (@Chris Vickery) 1575587857.0
On Thursday, Pelosi instructed the House to move forward in drafting articles of impeachment, with a floor vote happening as early as Christmas.