Andrew Harnik/AP Photo
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi steps away from a podium after reading a statement announcing a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill, September 24, 2019.
A new poll furnished to the Prospect shows that voters want to see bold and swift action taken on the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump, covering all of his potentially impeachable offenses. The poll mirrors a swell of public support for the impeachment inquiry, since Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) officially announced it on September 24.
Forty-nine percent of respondents support an impeachment inquiry and 43 percent oppose it, according to an October 1 poll of 1,009 voters nationally from YouGov Blue and the Progressive Change Institute (PCI). The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percent.
The majority of the support for the inquiry comes from Democratic voters, who support it “strongly” at 68 percent and “somewhat” at 13 percent.
The poll also shows 71 percent of supporters in favor of bringing all of Trump’s crimes to a vote, not just the most recent possible impeachment article regarding the president seeking assistance from Ukrainian officials in investigating Joe Biden and his son Hunter, brought to light through a whistleblower complaint.
“This poll shows that the public knows Trump is corrupt and wants bold impeachment action now due to his many crimes against our democracy,” said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Institute, in a press release.
The “many crimes” that could lead to additional articles of impeachment could include incidents in the Mueller report, questions into Trump’s inauguration fundraising, or possible violations of the Emoluments Clause.
“[The polls] show so many Democrats were wrong to hold out for so long [on impeachment],” Taylor told the Prospect over the phone. “It showed that conventional wisdom was wrong. Democrats should be emboldened to pursue the inquiry without political fears.”
In the YouGov Blue poll, independents are split on impeachment, with 45 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed, while Republican voters are predictably the least supportive with 83 percent in opposition of the formal inquiry into the president. Of course, these numbers are higher than the generally negative reaction to impeachment just weeks ago.
Speaker Pelosi mentioned the positive response to impeachment in polls on a conference call with other House Democrats this weekend, according to Vox. A Quinnipiac poll released on September 30 shows an even higher overall percentage of impeachment supporters, at 90 percent of Democratic voters. Support among all voters also increased from 37 percent just before Pelosi’s announcement to 47 percent afterward.
Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Institute, said these polls should have an influence on Democratic politicians. “The more leadership the Democrats show, and the more bold action they take, the more support they’ve gotten,” he told the Prospect.
The majority of supporters (60 percent) agreed that Congress should be “bold and decisive” in its inquiry, versus a slower process with “many” hearings. Green said the favorability for a faster hearing shows the public doesn’t need a review of all of Trump’s actions for elected officials to vote on impeachment.
“The American public doesn’t need to be convinced that Trump got help from Russia or that he’s using the presidency to enrich himself,” Green says. “There’s not a lot of inquiry needed on these issues.”
The YouGov Blue poll found that 43 percent of voters are still opposed to the impeachment inquiry, including 18 percent of Democrats who oppose impeachment or are unsure. Paradoxically, of those opposed to the inquiry, 35 percent believe Trump has committed impeachable offenses. Their lack of support comes from a belief that Trump’s impeachment will somehow backfire on Democrats.
Despite being under some form of investigation since his campaign, the negativity around Trump’s actions rarely have political consequences for the president, who has hovered at around 40 percent approval rating since taking office.
Pelosi was also against an impeachment inquiry until recently, allegedly trying to protect moderates in her caucus from swing districts, who weren’t ready to vote either way on impeaching the president. However, those moderates have largely come out in support, perhaps due to pressure they were feeling at home from activists and primary challenges. There is now majority support in the entire House of Representatives to proceed with the impeachment inquiry, but there are still 12 House Democrats who have not yet made public statements of support or have only showed conditional support, according to CNN.
It is possible that voters who are hesitant about an impeachment inquiry could change their positions, as the Democratic leader has. Taylor says, “Our poll reveals that many who supposedly oppose impeachment actually agree with Democrats and are just scared about the politics. If elected officials lead, the public will be with them.”
