NEW ORLEANS — As the impeachment trial of former President Trump continues, there’s mixed reaction from Louisiana Republicans on how the two Republican senators from the state recently voted in the proceedings.
Senator Bill Cassidy maintained a claim he made before the impeachment trial began: He said evidence from both sides will guide his decisions. On day one of the trial, he was among only six Republicans who voted the proceeding is constitutional.
“The House managers were focused, they were organized, they relied on both precedent, the Constitution and legal, they made a compelling argument. President trump’s team was disorganized. They did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand,” said Senator Cassidy after Tuesday’s proceedings.
“He appears to be evolving as a statesman who is kind of taking a kind of reasonable, measured approach to politics,” Ed Chervenak said.
University of New Orleans political scientist Ed Chervenak says that measured approach is rare in current politics.
On the Senator’s twitter page, he got plenty of praise for his vote on Tuesday. One user posted to his page, “I’m a very proud Republican today.”
Cassidy is also getting push back though. One tweet read “It’s sad that someone who is supposed to represent my state clearly doesn’t listen to his people.”
The Louisiana Republican Party issued a statement after the opening of the trial. The party said it’s “profoundly disappointed” by Cassidy’s vote. In that same statement, it praised Louisiana’s junior Senator John Kennedy for voting against the constitutionality of the trial.
While both Cassidy and Kennedy consistently voted with Trump positions in previous years, Chervenak says Sen. Kennedy seems to reflect the sentiment of this solidly Republican state.
“He figures that he’s up for re-election next year. The trump base is very loyal to him and so Kennedy needs that base if he wants to be re-elected,” Chervenak said.
Chervenak says Cassidy’s recent vote does not mean he’ll eventually vote to convict the former President. By Cassidy’s own words, the evidence may determine that.
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