WASHINGTON D.C. – Political analysts say Democrats in vulnerable districts could face a lot of political backlash for voting to impeach President Trump. Is Utah’s Fourth District Representative Ben McAdams on that list? A new poll shows… maybe not.
To some politicos, McAdams appears to be in a very tight spot. He only beat incumbent Mia Love by less than 700 votes.
Hinckley Institute of Politics Director Jason Perry says, “Also, he had the advantage of several other initiatives on the ballot that were driving Democrats to the polls, which also helped him.”
However, Perry says Utahns are still very divided about how they feel about President Trump. So, “the safest vote for [McAdams] was to stick with his party and do what was expected,” Perry says.
Utah Policy released a poll showing more people in Utah’s Fourth District would support a vote to impeach. It says 42 percent are in favor, while only 37 percent would be less likely to support a vote to impeach, and 18 percent say this particular vote wouldn’t sway their support for McAdams one way or the other.
University of Utah Political Science Professor Tim Chambless says these numbers match what McAdams told him about the calls coming into his office.
“The calls to his offices, both in Utah and Washington D.C., were running slightly in favor of recommendations of impeachment,” according to Chambless.
Another thing working in McAdams favor is his reputation among voters in Salt Lake County. Chambless says McAdams is well-known and well-liked, there.
He says, “In the Fourth Congressional District, 85 percent of the voters reside in Salt Lake County.”
However, some analysts say no representative will be able to escape from the shadow of how they voted on the articles of impeachment.