By Zachary Stieber
Two House Democrats voted against the House impeachment process resolution on Oct. 31.
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) was one of the “no” votes on House resolution 660.
Peterson, 75, has been in office since 1991. He’s the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.) was the other Democrat voting no.
Van Drew, 66, has been in office since January. He was a state senator from 2008 to 2018.
While Peterson hadn’t commented on the impeachment issue, Van Drew had indicated he was going to vote no.
“I would imagine that I’m not voting for it,” Van Drew told a reporter on Tuesday.
“I’m not sure what we’ve gained by putting everyone through all this,” Van Drew added to the Press of Atlantic City.
The final vote was 232-196, with three Republicans not voting and one Democrat not voting. No Republicans voted to approve the resolution.
The only Independent in the House, Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), who left the Republican Party earlier this year because he doesn’t like Trump, voted with the Democrats.
Both Peterson and Van Drew won toss-up districts in the 2018 midterms and face tough reelection battles in 2020. In 2016, Trump won Peterson’s district by 31 percent and Van Drew’s district by nearly 5 percent.
Other Democratic representatives who represent districts that might flip red came out in support of the resolution late Wednesday or early Thursday.
“I think the vote will allow a fair and open process and will finally let Americans judge for themselves,” Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.) told Syracuse.com.
“This is not a decision I made lightly, and this is not a vote for impeachment,” Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) added in a statement.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) said in a statement late Wednesday: “While I disagreed with the initial decision to open the impeachment inquiry, it is clear that the investigation has confirmed information contained in the whistleblower complaint. For the good of our country and the public’s understanding of the process, this investigation should no longer continue solely in a closed setting.”
