Republicans who voted to impeach might be in less peril than people think

Other Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are in better shape than Cheney. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) has also drawn a Trump-backed challenger, political neophyte Joe Kent. Despite raising more than $1.3 million, Kent has not cleared the field either, with four other Republicans challenging Herrera Beutler. Washington does not have party primaries; instead, the top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election. A recent poll from the Trafalgar Group showed a Democrat leading the pack, with Kent and Herrera Beutler closely bunched for second. With $1.6 million in the bank and the state’s election allowing her to garner primary votes from non-Republicans, Herrera Beutler could easily prevail.

Reps. Dan Newhouse (Wash.) and Peter Meijer (Mich.) are two other Republicans who voted for impeachment and look well placed to turn back Trump-backed challengers. Newhouse will benefit from Washington’s top-two primary law as well, and Trump only recently endorsed a Newhouse opponent — Loren Culp, the Republican nominee for Washington governor in 2020. Culp’s congressional campaign had been foundering before Trump got in; he only had $30,000 on hand to start the year.