Senate Republicans are strategically planning the impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to inflict significant political damage on their primary Democratic adversaries in the upcoming November elections. Their main targets include Senators Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown.
Democrats are indicating that they will promptly end the Mayorkas trial once they receive the impeachment articles from the House. Republicans have displayed strong opposition to Mayorkas, leading to the House delaying the trial until next week to prioritize the vote. Consequently, Democrats will require nearly unanimous support in order to dismiss the trial.
Vulnerable Democrats such as Tester (Mont.) and Brown (Ohio) find themselves in a difficult position, and their colleagues from purple states will also face pressure. This year’s campaign map in the Senate already heavily favors Republicans, and the GOP aims to use Democrats’ vulnerabilities on the issue of migration to regain control of the chamber.
Democrats are eager to move past the trial swiftly and shift the focus back to their GOP colleagues’ failure to pass a border deal earlier this year. However, Republicans are relishing the opportunity to make Democrats uncomfortable, even though some of them previously criticized the House’s impeachment efforts.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) warned that failing to address the issue could place incumbent Democrats and other candidates in a challenging position. He expressed sympathy for those who would have to defend such a vote, emphasizing the potential difficulties they would face.
Thune highlighted Brown and Tester as examples. Both Brown and Tester have not made a clear commitment to supporting a motion to table or dismiss the trial, which would essentially bring the proceedings to an end. While Tester initially stated in February that he would vote to scuttle the trial, he now says he is waiting to see the actual articles of impeachment. Brown, on the other hand, indicated that he would likely support dismissal but did not provide further details.
Despite this, both individuals emphasized that their decision would not be influenced by political risks. Brown referred to the issue as a “distraction” and made it clear that he did not pay much attention to the GOP’s attempt to “play politics.” Tester expressed that he was not at all concerned about Republicans using the vote against him.
“They will say whatever they want, whenever they want. They are already doing it,” Tester added.
As a third-term Montanan, he is already facing advertisements in his home state that criticize his stance on immigration. It is highly likely that there will be more of such advertisements in the future.
According to Torunn Sinclair, a spokesperson for Senate Leadership Fund, the main GOP Senate super PAC, senators who vote against holding an impeachment trial for Secretary Mayorkas will be absolving Mayorkas and the Biden Administration of their roles in creating the border crisis. Sinclair further stated that they will hold these senators accountable in the upcoming November elections.
During a closed-door lunch on Tuesday, Senate Republicans deliberated on strategies to effectively emphasize Democrats’ refusal to hold an impeachment trial for Mayorkas. It was reasoned that submitting the articles on Wednesday could potentially result in Democrats burying the trial on Thursday night and swiftly moving on. One attendee mentioned Senator Tester’s recent remarks about reevaluating the articles after previously pledging to dismiss them earlier this year. Some participants in the discussion argued that the Republican Party’s pressure tactics were proving to be effective.
Republican senators and Speaker Mike Johnson ultimately decided to change their course of action and agreed to commence the proceedings on Monday. In expressing his perspective on the matter, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) emphasized his belief in the political implications, stating, “I hope that the citizens of Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania hold their senators accountable in the upcoming November election.”
Surging migration has become a prominent issue in national politics in recent months, and this is not the first time. Last year, as President Biden’s approval ratings on immigration declined, he and his party made a compromise with Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) to implement stricter immigration and border policies.
Months of negotiations resulted in an agreement being blocked overwhelmingly by GOP senators in February. The Republicans, who had insisted on tying border changes to additional Ukraine aid, were prompted by former President Donald Trump’s opposition to the deal.
Tester has been facing the GOP’s immigration attacks and has been urging Democratic leaders to make Republicans vote again on the bipartisan border deal. He believes that the Republicans’ impeachment strategy is just a way to deflect blame for the failure of that bill. Brown also pointed out that the GOP’s decision to pursue impeachment but not pass the bipartisan border deal earlier this year sends a strong message.
Some Senate Republicans have expressed skepticism about the justification for impeaching Mayorkas in the first place, although they have indicated that they will most likely vote against dismissing the trial. It is worth noting that the impeachment faced initial challenges in the House, requiring two attempts to pass due to the opposition of three GOP lawmakers.
Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan and chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, downplayed the impeachment effort, calling it “political theater.” He expressed confidence that the process would not have any negative impact on his fellow incumbents. However, when it comes to border issues, they are approaching with caution.
Senator Jacky Rosen, a vulnerable incumbent from Nevada, has also refrained from pledging support for a motion to dismiss this month. However, she shares the same sentiment as Senators Tester and Brown, accusing Republicans of politicizing the border issue and attempting to divert attention from the failure of the border package.
“They clearly intend to use all of this as a political tool, without considering how we can effectively tackle the crisis at our border,” she expressed her concern.
Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, is anticipated to cast her vote in favor of shutting down the trial. On the other hand, Senator Bob Casey from Pennsylvania did not provide a direct response when asked about his stance on supporting a motion to dismiss the trial. However, he did emphasize the importance of the Senate focusing on passing the bipartisan border deal. Additionally, he expressed confidence that Republicans will attempt to exploit the trial’s outcome to their advantage, targeting him and other vulnerable Democrats.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has effectively confirmed the predictions made by Democrats.
According to Daines, the American people consider border security as their top concern. He believes that the trial outcomes will have an impact on Democrats and their stance on this issue. Daines emphasizes that the public will closely monitor the actions of Mayorkas in this regard.
Senate Democrats have the option to proceed with a trial, although it would be time-consuming and draw further attention to the divisive topic of immigration. The Mayorkas impeachment endeavor serves as a Republican criticism of the Biden administration’s approach to the southern border, a topic that Democrats are not enthusiastic about discussing.
