The Democratic impeachment proceedings are poised to be a gift to South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
As Democrats chase their latest attempts to undo the 2016 election, a trial in the Senate is likely to keep several major top tier candidates off the campaign trail while continuing to weigh down the Biden campaign by keeping the former vice president’s shady business dealings with Ukraine in the spotlight.
House Democrats are aiming to hold a vote on impeachment by Christmas, forcing a trial in the Senate to come next year as the primaries get into full swing. Republican Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina said the trial could last six to eight weeks, which would require senators on the campaign trail, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, to spend a significant amount of time in Washington rather than in the early contest states as voting gets underway.
“I think it could be a problem,” said Paul Beck, a political science professor at The Ohio State University. “Iowa and New Hampshire require more of an on-the-ground commitment.”