And Then There Were 9: The Road Ahead for Pro-Impeachment House Republicans

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The 10 G.O.P. lawmakers who voted to impeach Donald Trump look aggravated superior voters and challengers inspired oregon endorsed by the erstwhile president. So far, lone 1 has fixed up connected re-election.

Representative Anthony Gonzalez announced his status  connected  Thursday. He was 1  of 10 Republican House members who voted to impeach erstwhile  President Donald J. Trump.
Credit...T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times

Catie EdmondsonReid J. Epstein

Sept. 17, 2021, 6:50 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON — When Representative Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio looked into his governmental future, helium saw a brutal superior contention against a Trump-backed hostile for the accidental to instrumentality to a Trump-dominated House Republican caucus.

Mr. Gonzalez’s anguished announcement connected Thursday that helium would not question a 3rd word leaves conscionable 9 House Republicans who inactive look acceptable to combat to clasp their seats successful Congress aft having voted to impeach erstwhile President Donald J. Trump pursuing the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol.

Each faces likewise treacherous governmental terrain: Mr. Trump’s vows for vengeance against the Republicans who crossed him; superior opponents endorsed oregon astatine slightest inspired and elevated by him; and adjacent threats of unit from voters outraged by the lawmakers’ perceived disloyalty to the erstwhile president.

“1 down, 9 to go!” Mr. Trump crowed connected Friday.

Here is simply a look astatine wherever the 9 different representatives stand:

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Credit...Pool photograph by Oliver Contreras

The astir vocal House Republican to ballot to impeach Mr. Trump, Ms. Cheney has borne the brunt of the erstwhile president’s wrath. Last week, successful an effort to constrictive a crowded field, Mr. Trump endorsed Harriet Hageman, a erstwhile Republican National Committee subordinate and a 2018 campaigner for politician successful Wyoming, successful the superior against Ms. Cheney.

Former Trump aides person rushed to Ms. Hageman’s broadside to prop up her nascent run and transportation different candidates to driblet retired of the race. Ms. Cheney has remained unwavering successful her disapproval of Mr. Trump, describing his unwillingness to judge the results of the 2020 predetermination arsenic a menace to ideology and defiantly daring Mr. Trump and his allies to “bring it on.”

“If Harriet wants to formed her batch with those folks,” Ms. Cheney told Wyoming reporters this month, “I would enactment that they’re the aforesaid radical who were progressive successful misleading millions of Americans astir the predetermination successful 2020.”

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Credit...Taylor Glascock for The New York Times

None of the 10 pro-impeachment House Republicans person raised their profiles much than Mr. Kinzinger, a six-term blimpish who represents an exurban and agrarian portion of bluish and cardinal Illinois. He has created a governmental enactment committee and become a predominant anti-Trump beingness connected cablegram television and societal media since the Capitol riot.

Mr. Kinzinger hasn’t formally announced a 2022 re-election bid, and the Illinois legislature, controlled by Democrats, is apt to redraw his territory to marque it much hard for a Republican to win.

A half-dozen Republicans are vying to situation him, including Catalina Lauf, a erstwhile Commerce Department authoritative nether Mr. Trump, who placed 3rd successful a Republican superior successful a neighboring legislature territory past year.

So far, Ms. Lauf has been endorsed by Representative Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, 1 of the starring purveyors of pro-Trump misinformation successful Congress.

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Credit...Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Mr. Meijer, an heir to a large market store concatenation and an Army seasoned of the Iraq war, was successful his 2nd week successful Congress erstwhile helium voted to impeach Mr. Trump. Since then, helium has consistently warned of the dangers of parroting the prevarication of a stolen election.

He has besides been blunt astir the threats helium and others, similar Mr. Gonzalez, person faced for staking retired that position. At an lawsuit this summer, helium said, a pistillate told him that helium would soon beryllium arrested for treason and hauled earlier a subject tribunal, presumably to beryllium shot.

Mr. Trump has yet to endorse a superior challenger to Mr. Meijer. He is simply a formidable incumbent: Although the erstwhile president narrowly carried the West Michigan district, Mr. Meijer outperformed Mr. Trump. And the district’s voters are known for an autarkic streak, having antecedently elected Justin Amash, the Republican-turned-Libertarian.

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Credit...Amr Alfiky/The New York Times

Mr. Katko’s mean marque of authorities has returned him to Washington for 4 presumption contempt his seat’s perennial presumption arsenic a apical Democratic target, and helium has said helium is moving again successful 2022.

In 2022, his existent menace whitethorn travel from the right. Mr. Trump has yet to endorse a superior challenger but helium wrote to New York Republican leaders in June of his eagerness to bash so, vowing: “Katko volition ne'er triumph again.”

Far from backing down, Mr. Katko connected Wednesday told The Syracuse Post-Standard that Mr. Trump should not beryllium the person of the Republican Party. “It would person been a batch easier if I didn’t ballot connected the impeachment vote, but I did it due to the fact that it was the close happening to do,” helium said.

The apical Republican connected the Homeland Security Committee, Mr. Katko labored this twelvemonth to negociate with Democrats connected the constitution and scope of a bipartisan committee to analyse the Jan. 6 attack. But Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader, rejected a compromise endorsed by Mr. Katko due to the fact that it would not person examined unrelated “political violence” associated with the left.

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Credit...Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

A fixture successful his southwest Michigan district, Mr. Upton is successful his 18th legislature term, though successful caller years, his borderline of triumph has shrunk with each election. Now, if helium seeks re-election successful 2022, helium volition look disconnected against a superior challenger endorsed by Mr. Trump: Steve Carra, a first-term authorities typical who has led the propulsion astatine the State Capitol for a reappraisal of the 2020 predetermination results.

A spokesperson said Mr. Upton would travel his signifier of announcing his determination successful the twelvemonth of the election.

For years, Mr. Upton, a longtime person of President Biden’s, has prided himself connected his willingness to enactment crossed the aisle. Mr. Upton announced that helium would ballot for impeachment aft Mr. Trump described his connection astatine the Jan. 6 rally extracurricular the Capitol arsenic “totally appropriate.”

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Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times

Ms. Herrera Beutler took a bizarre prima crook during Mr. Trump’s 2nd impeachment proceedings aft she divulged that Mr. McCarthy, the House Republican leader, had told her that Mr. Trump had sided with the mob connected a telephone telephone with Mr. McCarthy portion the Capitol riot unfolded.

Since then, Ms. Herrera Beutler has stayed mostly soundless astir her relation successful the proceedings and her ballot to impeach Mr. Trump. A run spokesperson confirmed that she plans to tally for re-election.

She faces what could beryllium a pugnacious situation from a superior hostile Mr. Trump has endorsed: Joe Kent, a erstwhile Army Special Forces officer. Mr. Kent’s wife, Shannon Kent, a main petty serviceman successful the Navy who worked intimately with the National Security Agency, was killed by a termination bomber successful 2019 portion connected a counterterrorism ngo successful Syria. Mr. Kent plans to talk astatine a rally successful Washington connected Saturday successful enactment of defendants charged successful transportation with the Capitol assault.

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Credit...Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

Mr. Newhouse represents a harmless Republican territory successful cardinal Washington; Mr. Trump carried it by 18 percent points. Yet Washington State’s unfastened superior system, successful which the apical 2 candidates from immoderate enactment beforehand to the wide election, let some him and Ms. Herrera Beutler to entreaty to a broader electorate than immoderate of their Republican peers from different states.

Mr. Newhouse is campaigning for re-election arsenic if the impeachment ballot ne'er happened, betting that voters volition reward him for his attraction to the wildfires that person ravaged the Pacific Northwest this summertime and for securing federal backing for constabulary departments.

The best-known of his announced Republican opponents is Loren Culp, the erstwhile main of a one-man constabulary section who was the G.O.P. nominee past twelvemonth against Gov. Jay Inslee. Mr. Culp mislaid by much than fractional a cardinal votes, past declined to concede and falsely claimed that fraud had outgo him the election.

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Credit... Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, via Associated Press

Mr. Valadao’s territory successful the San Joaquin Valley is somewhat hard to qualify politically, fixed his show successful it: He sailed to victories successful 2012 and 2016 adjacent though Democratic statesmanlike candidates won the territory by double-digit margins. In 2018, amid a Democratic question election, helium mislaid by little than 1,000 votes. He recaptured his spot past twelvemonth adjacent arsenic Mr. Biden ran up an 11-point borderline successful the district.

What is clearer is that Mr. Valadao’s endurance successful specified a skittish territory is seen arsenic important to Republican efforts to recapture the House. That whitethorn explicate why, contempt his impeachment vote, Mr. McCarthy, present a vociferous Trump ally, has been helping Mr. Valadao rise money.

For his part, Mr. Valadao has been a reliable Republican ballot successful the House since his enactment for impeachment and has said precise small astir it successful the intervening months, speech from voting for Mr. Katko’s doomed Jan. 6 commission.

But helium has expressed immoderate solidarity with different pro-impeachment Republicans: He appeared astatine a fund-raiser for Mr. Newhouse and donated to 8 others — each but Ms. Cheney, whose governmental enactment committee donated $5,000 to Mr. Valadao.

So far, helium faces lone anemic opposition: His starring superior challenger mislaid a Republican superior for Congress successful New Mexico past year.

Reached by telephone connected Friday, Mr. Valadao showed nary involvement successful discussing his narration with the erstwhile president. “I person a comms director,” helium said. “Have a bully day. Goodbye.”

His communications manager declined to respond to questions.

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Credit...Pool photograph by Alex Edelman

None of the 10 Republican votes to impeach was arsenic astonishing arsenic that of Mr. Rice, a blimpish who had to that constituent ne'er spoken retired against Mr. Trump. It shocked his constituents successful northeastern South Carolina and acceptable disconnected a onshore unreserved of a twelve Republicans aiming to unseat him.

Among them are a erstwhile Trump medication authoritative and respective candidates who declared that they would not person voted to certify Mr. Biden’s victory.

Mr. Rice’s lawsuit whitethorn contiguous 1 of the purest tests yet of Mr. Trump’s clasp connected the party: There is nary different contented successful which helium has breached with the erstwhile president oregon with Republican leadership. But his impeachment ballot has been forgotten by nary one: not his superior opponents, not the Trumpian enactment base, and not Mr. Trump himself.

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