Here’s where Rep. Buchanan and his Democrat challenger Good stand on impeachment vote
Congressman Vern Buchanan and his Democrat challenger in the 2020 election couldn’t be further apart when it comes to the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, voted against the two articles of impeachment approved Wednesday night.
State Rep. Margaret Good, D-Sarasota, who previously voiced support for an investigation into the facts surrounding a phone call in which Trump is accused of pressuring Ukraine to dig up political dirt, made a more forceful statement on her position ahead of Wednesday’s vote.
“After carefully considering the evidence, it is clear the president violated his oath of office and undermined our national security when he put his interests above our country’s by attempting to bribe a foreign power to investigate a political rival,” Good said in a statement.
That’s in sharp contrast to Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, who slammed the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives for attempting to impeach the president.
“This political vendetta is an abuse of the impeachment process and would subvert the votes of 63 million Americans. Just because the president’s opponents are afraid that he’ll win re-election is no excuse for weaponizing impeachment,” Buchanan said on the House floor during Wednesday afternoon’s heated debate.
“The partisan impeachment of President Trump sets a dangerous precedent for our country and is exactly why people are so fed up with Washington,” Buchanan said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “There is a reason why public support for impeachment has dropped following the public hearings.”
On Tuesday evening, hundreds rallied outside Buchanan’s downtown Bradenton office in support of Trump’s impeachment and removal from office. Ahead of that protest, Buchanan repeated a call to have voters determine whether Trump should leave office by casting their ballots in November.
“Never before in modern history has a president been impeached without bipartisan support,” Buchanan said. “The election is less than a year away – let voters decide.”
“I support the articles of impeachment because this is an abuse of power, and now more than ever we must protect our Constitution and put country over politics,” Good argued.
Good is challenging Buchanan for his seat representing Manatee County and parts of Sarasota and Hillsborough counties in Florida’s 16th Congressional District.
A U.S. Senate trial that will determine whether Trump is removed from office should begin early next year.
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 11:01 AM.
