In his first city hall since he voted to accuse former President Trump, a voter told South Carolina Congressman Tom Rice his decision was “inexcusable.”
“Next time, I do not think you are going to be elected,” said his voter in Myrtle Beach, from the district Rice has represented since 2013. “I’m not happy with you. And I will definitely not vote for you again. So if you can find a way to save yourself, I’m all ears. ‘
But the next caller, an 80-year-old woman, praised Rice for the “tremendous courage” he showed by voting for accusation.
“If you want a Congressman who’s going to bully … who’s going to go with the crowd, ‘Oh, everyone on this side voted this way, so I better vote that way so people at home do not doubt not. I’m – if this is the man you want, then I’m not your husband, ‘Rice said.
“But if you want someone to stand up for what is right, and protect our Constitution as I swore, then I’m your guy.”
For Rice and the nine other House Republicans who voted for accusation, Mr. Trump’s speech before the attack on the Capitol and his long silence as rioters stormed the building were reason enough to join the Democrats in accusing the president a second time.
But their decision was immediately returned by many voters, local parties and their Republican colleagues.
Six of the eight Republican chairmen in the Washington District in Dan Newhouse have asked him to resign (Newhouse said in a statement he would not resign).
Three of the Republicans who voted for accusation are already facing primary challenges. In Wyoming, three candidates submitted to challenge Representative Liz Cheney, the Third Republic of the House. In his announcement of his campaign, state senator Anthony Bouchard said Cheney’s accusatory voices show how exactly she is not in touch with Wyoming.
In the Capitol, Cheney, the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House, faces calls to step down as president of the caucus. She will face the same pressure at home when Florida Congressman and Trump ally Matt Gaetz travel to Wyoming on Thursday. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, angry at the infighting, told Republicans during a conference call on Wednesday to “cut out this shit.”
Former speaker John Boehner is hosting a virtual fundraiser for Cheney in February, according to an invitation received by CBS News.
In a poll conducted on Wednesday by Mr. Trump’s poll revealed that a significant majority of Wyoming Republicans have an unfavorable view of Cheney, and not her accusatory voice.
But Natrona County Republican chairman Joseph McGinley said he saw mixed reactions from the state’s second-most populous county, saying there was widespread confidence in her and that a “silent majority” of Republicans her support.
The state Republican Party was more critical of Cheney’s decision, calling her vote a “true travesty for Wyoming.” “The consensus is clear that those reaching out to the Party vehemently disagree with the decision and actions of Representative Cheney,” the Wyoming GOP said in a statement.
The Natrona Province State Committee, Peter Nicolaysen, in an email shot back the state party leadership and questioned the clarity of ‘the consensus’.
“Maybe we’re just hearing about the toughest Republicans? I suppose time will tell,” he wrote.
In the third district of Michigan, Tom Norton wasted no time launching a primary campaign against Republican Peter Meijer after his indictment. And he hires a former Trump campaign staffer in Michigan to run his campaign temporarily.
“Republicans in the district feel their trust is being violated,” Norton said. “If you accuse someone and violate their proper process, it’s a big problem.” Norton ran against Meijer in the Republican election in 2020 and finished third with 16% of the vote.
Meijer is a first-year student who filled the seat of Libertarian Congressman Justin Amash, who cast his own vote to replace Mr. To accuse Trump in 2019. Meijer was one of two first-year members of the IDP who voted for the accusation.
“It may have been an act of political suicide, but that’s what I felt was necessary for the good of the country, to be accountable at this moment, but also to set a path to move forward,” Meijer said. told Detroit Free Press that day. of his voice.
Ohio Congressman Anthony Gonzalez is also fairly new to Congress, beginning his second term.
Gonzalez said he voted for accusation because Mr. Trump helped organize and incite a mob, and it was “the full range of events until Jan. 6, including the president’s lack of response,” that forced him to back the accusation.
Doug Deeken, chairman of the Republican Party in Wayne County, believes Gonzalez “struggled” to take part in a “rushed” indictment. But he also said that potential challengers would be ‘stupid to declare before they are redistributed.
Amanda Suffecool, GOP chair of Portage County, said she had heard of donors temporarily halting funds for Gonzalez, although she noted it was still early.
South Carolina Republican Party chairman Drew McKissick could not count how many donors Rice has closed, but he suspects it will be a problem for him.
“The base of the party, they are very upset. I think it will be expressed in 2022,” he said.
However, Myrtle Beach resident Rick Scott, a constant Rice donor, said he was proud of his congressman for his decision. He will continue to support Rice and has yet to hear any co-donors say they will abandon the ship.
‘I felt like [his vote] may make him sad, but he did the only thing a decent person could do, “he said. My wife tells me that Facebook is full of people who do not support it. But there’s a reason I’m not on Facebook. ‘
Chris Ekstrom, chairman of the Courageous Conservatives PAC, says he hopes to raise $ 5 to 10 million to follow in the footsteps of Republicans who supported the accusation. His main targets include Cheney, Gonzalez and Rice.
“I’m going to send Liz Cheney a Valentine’s Day ticket because she’s going to be the biggest fundraiser for the incumbent Republican election we’ve ever had,” Ekstrom said.
In rival districts, GOP donor Dan Eberhart said some donors might support the Republican candidate they believe has a better chance of winning in November.
The 2022 house maps have not yet been signed, but three of the ten Republicans who voted for the indictment represent districts. Trump with less than five points. Two districts represent President Biden won.
“Taking back the house is a big focal point that the donors are talking about,” Eberhart said. “I think the donor class will eventually be upset about primary challengers making the win more complicated in general.”
The setback against Republicans of the House who backed accusations has shown that senators will face re-election in 2022. Forty-five GOP senators support a motion by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky to declare the impending trial unconstitutional. The only Republican for re-election who did not join them was Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski.
Tuesday’s vote makes it highly unlikely that 17 Republican senators would vote to convict the former president. South Dakota Senator John Thune, the second Republican senator to be re-elected in 2022, told reporters that the vote did not bind anyone once the trial began, but said it was an indication of where many people were. heads are. ‘
Democrats applied a measure to Mr. To condemn Trump, though it is not clear whether it will take up even more support from Republican senators for re-election.
“The thought of a Republican who will challenge Trump in 2022 is very high,” Eberhart said. “Seeing a Trump march for a challenger of a incumbent who beat Trump is a pretty powerful incentive to keep people in line.”
The Republican National Committee members debated how to address whether Mr. Trump played a role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Demetra DeMonte, an RNC committee member from Illinois, last week proposed a resolution calling the House accusation “illegal” and urging every Republican in the Senate to “oppose this unconstitutional trial against sham accusers, which was passed by a radical and to oppose a reckless democratic majority. ‘
But Bill Palatucci, an RNC committee from New Jersey, opposed the resolution because it did not recognize former President Trump’s direct role in inciting the uprising. He argued that the RNC could help heal the country through Mr. Condemning Trump’s role.
McDaniel issued a statement on Wednesday not calling the accusation illegal, but saying the Senate hearing was “unconstitutional”.
“I join the vast majority of Republicans in the Senate to oppose it,” she added.
Rebecca Kaplan reported.