Rep. Ben McAdams said Wednesday he would vote in favor of a resolution that will be the House’s first formal vote on impeachment, casting the vote as a crucial move toward transparency in the current inquiry.
“These are serious times for our country. Utahns deserve an opportunity to judge the facts for themselves rather than taking the Republican or Democratic Party’s spin,” said McAdams in an email statement. “To ensure transparency, facts, witnesses testimony and documents, must be brought forward to be considered objectively by all members of the House and by the American people. I look forward to this process moving into the public view.”
The resolution, which will be up for a public vote on Thursday, spells out procedures for congressional committees and the White House in future impeachment hearings.
McAdams’ vote is not without some risk to his electoral fortunes. National Republicans who are targeting him for defeat in the 2020 election are salivating at the possibility of McAdams voting on some aspect of impeachment. He represents an overwhelmingly Republican district and squeaked to victory in 2018 by fewer than 700 votes.
According to a Utah Political Trends survey from earlier in October, voters in McAdams’ district are seemingly open to the possibility of impeachment. 44% of voters in the 4th District say Congress should not hold impeachment hearings. 31% said there is enough evidence right now to impeach while 24% want Congress to keep investigating.
President Trump is not popular in McAdams’ district. 56% of voters disapprove of the president’s job performance according to a recent UtahPolicy.com/Y2 Analytics poll. That includes 49% who “strongly disapprove” of Trump. Just 44% of McAdams’ voters approve of Trump.
Conversely, McAdams has the highest approval rating of Utah’s congressional delegation, with 54% of his voters approving of his job performance.
While many see Thursday’s vote as a key barometer in a future impeachment vote, McAdams stresses he will strive to remain impartial.
“I will not prejudge whether I will support or oppose any articles of impeachment that might come forward, but will wait to see all the facts and evidence before reaching any conclusion,” he said.
