Rep. Jeff Van Drew is quitting the Democrats over Trump's impeachment. The Democrat next door is voting yes.

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published 17 December 2019

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.) may be switching parties over his opposition to impeaching President Trump, but his defection is lonely and fraught as he faces scorn from Democrats in his southern New Jersey district and a cold shoulder from local Republicans, though Trump welcomed him with open arms. Other House Democrats from districts that voted for Trump announced one-by-one Monday that they will vote to impeach the president Wednesday.

"Monday's announcements dealt a blow to Trump and his allies, who had been encouraging Democrats to defect to bolster their depiction of impeachment as a crusade by extremist liberals," The Washington Post reports. "The White House had mounted an all-out effort to pressure the centrists, many of whom faced a blitz of anti-impeachment ads and are risking significant political damage."

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The greater Trump lean of Kim's district theoretically puts him in greater electoral peril than Van Drew, but it's complicated.

So far, no House Republicans have said they will vote to impeach Trump, though one, Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), quit the party in July over its refusal to hold Trump accountable. Amash is all-in on impeachment, which is one reason some Democrats want him to serve as an impeachment manager in Trump's Senate trial. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.