Voters are split on whether House Democrats should immediately begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump, according to a new American Barometer poll.
The survey, conducted by Hill.TV and the HarrisX polling company, found that 40 percent of registered voters polled said House Democrats should begin impeachment proceedings, while 41 percent said Democrats in the chamber should not begin the process.
Nineteen percent of respondents said they were unsure on the matter.
The poll also revealed a partisan divide on the issue, with 74 percent of Republican voters polled saying impeachment proceedings should not begin, and 66 percent of Democrats surveyed supporting impeachment moving ahead.
Among independents, 44 percent of respondents said there should not be impeachment proceedings, while 36 percent said they favor the measure.
The poll was conducted prior to Democrats reclaiming control of the House on Tuesday, and asked “If Democrats win control of the House of Representatives, should they begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump?”
The Democrats’ victory in the House has led political observers to question whether House Democrats will move to impeach Trump.
Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Al Green (D-Texas) have openly called for Trump’s impeachment; however, House Democratic leadership has urged caution on the issue.
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the third-ranking House Democrat, said Wednesday that Democrats should wait for special counsel Robert Mueller to wrap up his Russia probe before considering impeachment.
“To get out in front of the Mueller probe, I think, would be a big mistake,” he told CNN.
Republican pollster Jim Hobart told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking” that he does not believe Democrats will ultimately move to impeach Trump.
“It is not something they really campaigned on. They were actually very disciplined on focusing their campaigns on health care and the economy, and staying away from what gets talked about on cable news, and I think that’s what you will see them continue to do not that they have control of the House,” he said.
The American Barometer poll was conducted on November 2-3 among 1,000 registered voters. The sampling margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
— Julia Manchester
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