Schrier will vote to impeach Trump despite political risk

Congresswoman Kim Schrier from Washington state plans to vote to impeach President Donald Trump this week, despite the political risk.

"There are things that are far bigger than politics," Schrier said.

Schrier is serving her first term in Congress. In 2018, she flipped Washington's 8th Congressional District from red to blue for the first time in its history.

Now, she's up for re-election in 2020. Although impeachment is popular with Democrats, polls indicate only around 44 percent of Independents support it.

But Schrier told KUOW she'll vote for impeachment, anyway.

"Ultimately, this is about patriotism because there may be a democratic president one day who tries to conduct himself in this matter, and we must not allow the setting of a precedent that would imply that this is tolerable behavior," Schrier said.

Another likely factor is the 8th is a lot more liberal than it once was due to population increases on the west side of the Cascades, where there are a lot more Democrats. The district now runs from relatively liberal Issaquah in the west, to much more conservative cities like Chelan in the East.

The Cook Political Report suggests Schrier is "likely" to retain her seat, but that rating could change.

Beyond the 8th, so far Washington's delegation appears to be split on party lines. The full House is expected to vote this week on two articles of impeachment.