California voters are tired of impeachment. Here’s what they want Democrats to talk about
Impeachment isn’t the big topic on constituents’ minds in a lot of Sacramento and Central Valley area congressional districts, their congressional representatives say.
“In some ways there might be impeachment fatigue from some of the constituents. They seem more interested in talking about policy, drug pricing, infrastructure,” said Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove.
“It doesn’t come up most of the time,” Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, found as he travels his district..
Rep. TJ Cox’s office got about 20 calls or emails from constituents weekly during the heat of the impeachment debate in December. Now, as the Senate trial goes on, it gets about five per week.
Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, heard other things on constituents’ minds. “The people I work for are clearly more focused on water, health care, and jobs than impeachment – and so am I,” he said.
None of this is much of a surprise to House Democratic leaders, who have long understood that voters in many districts want to hear more from lawmakers about day-to-day issues affecting their lives.
Bera, who has run in close races since he first won his seat in 2012, said his office did get a lot of constituent contacts about impeachment while the House was debating the issue last month.
But lately, “The folks that are watching the trial probably already see a foregone conclusion with the Senate, I think,” he said. “Many of my constituents probably want to see Congress move on and start solving these (other) issues.”
Demonstrating that effort is particularly crucial for freshmen Democrats such as Harder and Cox as the party fights to retain the House majority it won in 2018. Republicans need a net gain of 18 seats to win the majority back, and Trump in 2016 won in 30 districts whose House seats are now held by Democrats.
The “natural thing for the Republicans to do” in those districts is to nationalize the House races and show that support of the GOP candidate is support for Trump, said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan elections newsletter based at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Democrats, on the other hand, “will try to de-nationalize those races through talking about issues that aren’t directly tied to the president,” Kondik said..
Harder won his first term in 2018 with 52% of the vote, defeating Republican incumbent Jeff Denham in the Modesto-based district.
Cox won his first term in 2018 with 50.4% over another Republican incumbent, Rep. David Valadao. Cox’s office has found that constituents tend to contact him about a variety of issues, with spikes occurring if something of special local interest is in the news.
This yen to tend to such constituents’ concerns is a point a lot of Democrats make. While virtually all support impeachment, and very much dislike Trump, they are working to show they’re problem-solvers and good listeners, not political gladiators.
“Nancy (Pelosi, House speaker) has been extraordinarily brilliant in making sure that we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” said Rep. Salud Carbajal, a California Democrat whose central coastal district includes San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
Pelosi for some time has routinely begun news conferences by talking not about impeachment, but other topics such as efforts to curb prescription drug costs or boost infrastructure spending. Thursday, she did just that, talking at length about the two topics before taking questions.
At his town hall January 21 in Goleta, Carabajal gave an update on impeachment, explained in his opening remarks his vote to impeach, and was asked one or two questions on the subject. Then he and the audience went on to other topics.
“It was great to be able to say after addressing impeachment let me tell you about all the bills we’ve been working on,” he recalled. He heard a “general menu” of topics from constituents.
Just like Democrats in swing areas around the country. A Gallup Poll taken Dec. 2-15 found that 35% of adults regard health care as an extremely important 2020 campaign issue, followed closely by terrorism and national security at 34%.
“I definitely hear a lot more about health care and infrastructure. I mean especially when we start talking about protections for people with pre-existing conditions and behavioral health issues,” said Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, who defeated Republican Kevin Yoder in 2018 with 53.6% of the vote
Asked why health care was more on people’s minds than impeachment, she said, “It is the thing that ‘s causing not only the most stress emotionally, (but) health care is causing the most financial stress for people.”
In more Republican congressional districts, lawmakers find people not only tired of impeachment, but downright angry about the entire process.
“I think people have long ago made up their minds and moved on,” said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California, “but I have noticed when someone brings up the issue when I’m out and about, it’s usually a Republican who is hopping mad.” Trump won his district in 2016 by nearly 15 percentage points.
But the president lost statewide by 30 points, and the constituent response to Democrats in friendlier territory is very different.
“Engagement was very high leading up to the House impeachment vote,” though it’s dropped since the Senate trial began, said George Hatamiya, spokesman for Rep. Doris Matsui, D-California. The office of Rep. John Garamendi, D-California, reported the same trend. Both lawmakers easily won re-election in 2018.
Sen. Kamala Harris, who does not face re-election in California until 2022, said she’s heard from thousands of state residents about impeachment.
“The resounding message I am hearing from Californians is that people want to know that there is going to be a fair trial and accountability,” she said. “They want to know that we are going to fight for the basic principle that in America, no one is above the law —including the President of the United States.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat who does not have to run for the Senate again until 2024, also has reported more comments about impeachment recently than about any other topic.
Feinstein’s office reports that since the Senate trial began earlier this month, it’s received 29,545 letters and emails in favor of impeachment and removal from office and 5,351 opposing impeachment.
It’s the House, though, where the party faces a bigger political challenge in November, and swing district constituents are sending a different message.
“Even though it’s wall-to-wall on cable news,” said Harder of impeachment, “I’m hearing more from people about the problems they face in their everyday lives than all the fighting in Washington.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
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