Did Cornyn vote to impeach Trump? Only 3 GOP senators who did remain
Kinsey Crowley- Sen. John Cornyn lost the Senate primary to Trump-endorsed Ken Paxton.
- Though Trump called Cornyn 'not supportive of me,' the longtime Texas senator was not one of the seven who voted to convict Trump in his impeachment trial.
- Only 3 of the 7 Republican senators who voted against Trump in the impeachment trials are still in office. One just lost a reelection campaign, and another faces reelection this fall.
President Donald Trump's influence over the Republican party again prevailed in the Texas Senate primary runoff election on May 26.
Trump endorsed Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who has held office for more than 20 years. The race was called for Paxton by the Associated Press, Fox News and other outlets about an hour after polls closed.
A similar story played out for Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, who lost his primary earlier this month after Trump campaigned against him, pointing to the senator's vote to convict him in the 2021 impeachment trial.
Though Cornyn did not vote to impeach Trump, Trump said Cornyn was "not supportive of me when times were tough," when endorsing his opponent.
Only three senators who voted against Trump in the impeachment trials are still in office, and one is up for reelection this fall. Who is it?
Did John Cornyn vote to impeach Donald Trump?
No. Cornyn voted to acquit Trump in both impeachment trials.
An impeachment is akin to an indictment; it approves formal charges against a federal officeholder who has been accused of committing a crime.
The articles (charges) of impeachment must be adopted by a simple majority vote in the House before the Senate holds an impeachment trial. If the Senate votes by a two-thirds majority to convict, only then can the accused be removed from office.
Which Senators voted to impeach Trump?
Trump has been impeached twice by the House, but the Senate acquitted him both times.
In December 2019, the House voted to impeach Trump on two articles, one charging him with abuse of power by asking Ukrainian officials to investigate his political opponent and another that he obstructed the congressional investigation into the matter. In February 2020, the Senate voted to acquit the president, and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only Republican to cross party lines in voting to convict.
In January 2021, the House voted to impeach Trump again, charging the president with "incitement to insurrection" related to the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Ten Republicans broke ranks and voted with Democrats to impeach Trump. Only two of those 10 lawmakers are still in office, and one of them has said he will not seek re-election in 2026. The others retired from Congress or lost their races.
The Senate trial occurred after Trump left office, and some Republicans found it unnecessary since he was no longer in power. A majority voted to convict, with seven Republicans crossing party lines, but the 57-43 vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for a conviction. Because he was acquitted, there was no vote to bar him from holding office again.
The seven Republican Senators were:
- Former Sen. Richard Burr, North Carolina
- Sen. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana
- Sen. Susan Collins, Maine
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
- Former Sen. Mitt Romney, Utah
- Former Sen. Ben Sasse, Nebraska
- Former Sen. Patrick Toomey, Pennsylvania
3 Senators remain. 1 is still up for reelection this year.
Of the senators who voted against Trump in the second impeachment trial, only three still hold office. Cassidy's term will end in January 2027, since he lost his primary. Murkowski is the only one who has been reelected since voting to convict Trump.
Collins is up for reelection in Maine this year. Though she is running in the GOP primary unchallenged, political newcomer Graham Platner has emerged as her likely Democratic opponent in a race that has already garnered national attention.
Trump has expressed anger at Collins in the past for voting against her own party.
"Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Jan. 8, when five Republicans voted with Democrats to reassert Congress' role in approving military action in Venezuela. "Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again."
Platner said May 21 Trump should be impeached, though cautioned his supporters it might not be possible, according to The Hill.
Contributing: Phillip Bailey, Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter),Threads,Bluesky andTikTok.