Rep. Cindy Axne, Who Narrowly Won in 2018, Will Vote to Impeach Trump

Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) speaks in Washington in a Jan. 24, 2019, file photograph. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) said on Dec. 17 that she plans to vote to impeach Republican President Donald Trump, one day before the House vote on impeachment is expected to be held.

House Democrats accused Trump of abusing the office of the president and obstructing Congress in two articles of impeachment introduced last week. The articles were voted out of the House Judiciary Committee, setting up a vote by the full house this week.

Axne, 54, a first-term Congresswoman, said in a statement on Tuesday that she reviewed the evidence and believes Trump “abused his power and obstructed justice.”

“I came to Congress to work for middle class Iowans—getting people better health care and better-paying jobs while making the Federal government more accountable. When I took the oath of office, I swore to protect the Constitution and our democracy,” she said.

“After carefully reviewing the evidence presented from the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, it’s clear the President abused his power by using $400 million in taxpayer money for his own personal, political gain and obstructed justice by ordering his administration to refuse to testify or provide subpoenaed documents. That’s why today, I am announcing my support for the articles of impeachment.”

Axne, a small business owner, won the 2018 election over incumbent David Young by a close margin. Young is one of three Republicans running for the seat in 2020. Trump won the district in 2016.

Axne joins a number of vulnerable Democrats who have announced their intentions to vote to impeach Trump, including Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Ben McAdams (D-Utah), and Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.).

Democrats appear to have enough votes to pass impeachment, with just two Democrats publicly stating they won’t vote for impeachment.

Democrats control the House with a 233-197 majority and need a simple majority to impeach Trump.

If he is impeached, a trial in the Senate will be triggered. To convict a president, or remove him from office after impeachment, a vote of two-thirds of the Senators present at the time of the vote is required.

President Donald Trump poses for photos as he meets with Paraguay's President Mario Abdo Benitez at the White House in Washington on Dec. 13, 2019. Evan Vucci/AP Photo

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate after gaining two seats in 2018 and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has repeatedly said that Trump will not be convicted.

The GOP is angling for a short trial potentially involving no witnesses as they dismiss the case House Democrats built as “weak.”

“The case is so darn weak coming from the House. We know how it’s going to end. There’s no chance the president’s going to be removed from office,” McConnell said last week.