Trump Impeachment Poll: 57% Of California Voters Want President Impeached

A new poll in California that sought opinion on President Donald Trump’s impeachment shows a majority wants the President impeached.

The Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times showed 57 percent of California voters are supporting impeachment.

Party wise, 8 in 10 self-identified Democrats in the state backs Trump’s impeachment and removal from office while 8 in 10 Republicans are opposing it.

The poll was conducted Nov. 21-27 after the conclusion of public hearings by the Intelligence Committee and 3,482 registered voters from the state participated.

Independents are also split on impeachment, with 40 percent favoring the censure and 36 percent opposing it. However, independents are a small group.

Polls held nationally have shown voters are divided on impeachment. But in California, Democrats outnumber Republicans and the sharp divide shows a strong margin in supporting the impeachment of Trump.

In actual terms, 57 percent backs impeachment of Trump, 30 percent opposes it and 13 percent are non-committal saying “don’t know or it is too soon to say.”

Home of key Democrats steering impeachment

Two California Democrats are in the centerpiece of the impeachment process. They are House-Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and the House Intelligence Committee chairman, Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank.

Trump has been unpopular in California since he took over in 2017 and a large number of voters in the state oppose him. That position has not changed and California may reject Trump’s re-election bid possibly by a big margin.

The poll showed the impeachment issue neither dented Trump’s standing nor changed the minds of voters on either side.

Impeachment is not a poll influencing issue

Meanwhile, a CNN report said the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump is not making any huge impact on public opinion.

The opinion polls in late November and October showed 50 percent of Americans wanted to impeach and remove Trump from office per CNN/SSRS polling.

Despite Trump's approval ratings down in the 40s, the impeachment move has not given any traction to the Democratic race for president. It may appear as a subtle gain for Trump.

Possible reasons for that stagnation include persuadable voters on impeachment not paying any serious attention to the impeachment proceedings and impeachment appears as a low priority for voters.

Voters have not changed their positions on impeachment. Nearly 85 percent of voters in October and November polls had a strong stand on impeaching or not impeaching Trump. Only 15 percent of voters said they have no strong stand about impeachment or had no opinion at all.

Even in that 15 percent, a majority is not paying any attention to the impeachment process. The take away is that those who feel strongly about impeachment are unlikely to change their minds.

Economy and healthcare are top issues

For a majority of voters, impeachment is not the sole issue that guides their electoral choice. The CNN poll released last week had sought voters’ views on issues that determine their 2020 vote.

Only 46 percent said the impeachment of Trump was important to their vote. The poll showed the top two issues influencing voters are economy and health care, with 83 percent and 80 percent respectively sticking to that.