FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
PRESS CONTACT
press@defendamericandemocracy.org
POLL: Voters in Trump States Want to See Fair Impeachment Trial, Evidence and Witnesses
WASHINGTON — Today, Defend American Democracy and Public Policy Polling released the results of a polls in four states showing that even Americans in states President Trump won in 2016 want to see a fair impeachment trial in the Senate. Registered voters in Pennsylvania, Utah, and South Carolina, as well as Maine said overwhelmingly they want their senators to support calling witnesses and to keep an open mind during the impeachment trial. Additionally, respondents found arguments in favor of a full trial with witnesses and evidence “very convincing.”
Key findings from the poll include:
In Pennsylvania, Senator Pat Toomey has an approval rating severely underwater, with just 25% approving his job performance compared to 51% disapproving. A majority of Keystone Staters thought that the president had committed obstruction of Congress and had abused his power. A majority also said that they wanted Senator Toomey to keep an open mind about the arguments made in President Trump’s impeachment trial, and 62% want Senator Toomey to support a motion allowing for evidence and witness as part of a full trial.
In Utah, a majority (54%) of Senator Mitt Romney’s constituents want him to keep an open mind on whether or not to convict President Trump in the Senate impeachment trial. Meanwhile, 59% of Utahans want Senator Romney to support a motion to allow for a fair trial, including calling witnesses and admitting evidence.
Similarly, in South Carolina, a majority (51%) of South Carolinians want Senator Linsdey Graham, who last month stated he “wouldn’t pretend to be impartial” as a juror on impeachment, to keep an open mind during President Trump’s impeachment, and an even greater majority (54%) want him to support a motion calling for witnesses and evidence to be heard at the trial.
Mainers both strongly disapprove of Senator Susan Collins’ job performance (35% approve, 54% disapprove), and strongly favor a fair impeachment trial in the Senate. At 67%, an overwhelming majority of them want Senator Collins to support a motion to allow the Senate to admit new evidence and even more want her to support a motion that would allow the Senate to hear from new witnesses.
“Across the country, voters of all different political persuasions support a fair and complete trial that is driven by the facts. The American people want witnesses and want this process treated with the gravity it deserves," said Jim Williams, a polling analyst at Public Policy Polling.
Both presidential impeachment trials that have happened in American history heard from new witnesses in the Senate trial and in those trials, the president and the White House has complied with subpoenas and requests for documents, whereas the Trump administration has done neither.
The full memo can be found here.
Defend American Democracy is a bipartisan campaign to call on Congress to put politics aside when it comes to impeachment and hold the president accountable for his abuse of power. The broad coalition of organizations focused on national security and veterans issues includes Common Defense, Truman National Security Project, Protect the Investigation, Law Works, Protect Democracy, Stand Up Republic, Republicans for the Rule of Law, and National Security Action.
Since 2001, Public Policy Polling has conducted surveys for politicians & political organizations, unions, consultants, and businesses quickly, cost-effectively, and accurately on a wide range of issues.
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