| | | | The Republican exodus continues |  | | President Donald Trump's stunning victory was regarded by many Republicans as the possible beginning of a new era of GOP dominance. It's been the exact opposite.
When Trump was inaugurated, there were 241 Republicans in the House. With the retirement of Florida Rep. Ted Yoho on Tuesday, 104 of them have either retired, been defeated or are not running again in 2020, according to stats provided by Cook Political Report House editor David Wasserman.
That's a remarkable number. Almost half (43%) of the Republicans who were in the House when Trump became the 45th President are either already gone or in the process of going.
Now, not all of that attrition can be directly attributed to Trump. There is always some level of turnover in Congress as people run for other offices, retire or get enmeshed in scandal and leave. That goes double when your party goes from the House majority to the House minority, which is what happened for Republicans in the 2018 midterms. Being in the House majority is great. Being in the House minority is brutal; you have almost no control of your schedule and no ability to move meaningful legislation of any sort.
But Trump bears at least some responsibility for his party's losses in the 2018 election, as Democratic candidates across the country -- and especially in the suburbs -- ran against him and his version of conservatism as much as they did against their actual opponents.
And Trump bears even more responsibility for the ways in which his behavior has made serving in Congress hugely challenging for Republicans. Trump has staged a hostile takeover of the party, moved it away from its small-government, fiscally minded past and made clear that anyone who criticizes him or steps out of line is going to pay a political price.
That's not what I would describe as a fun work environment. And lots and lots of Republicans are deciding they want to be anywhere but there.
The Point: Trump's drastic rebranding of the GOP has consequences. And the stunning level of turnover we've seen just since he's been elected is a big, bright shining consequence.
-- Chris
| | "Oh, it was clearly spied upon. I mean, that's what electronic surveillance is."
-- Attorney General Bill Barr, in an interview with NBC, disputed the IG report's conclusions on the Russia investigation's origins while offering very little evidence for why. This is one of Chris' 11 most truth-stretching lines from the interview. | | |  | All your impeachment inquiry questions answered | | Another week, another round of hearings. Chris answered some of your top impeachment questions to help you navigate the unfolding events.
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Plus, we're doing another Q&A ahead of the next House hearing. What do YOU want Chris to answer? Email your questions to allison.gordon@cnn.com. | | For the history books: The House's articles of impeachment
Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell don't see eye-to-eye on the coming Senate impeachment trial
Rudy Giuliani's spokesperson is a 20-year-old college student. Yes, really.
What happens when a wedding influencer gets divorced?
They | | | Where has Dylan LeBlanc been all my life? | | Here's a glimpse at how the impeachment process will likely unfold over the next week and beyond:
In the House:
On Wednesday and Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee debates the articles of impeachment. Once the Judiciary Committee approves the articles, they are sent on to the House for a full vote.
We still don't know when that full House vote will officially take place, but we expect it to happen before Christmas.
In the Senate:
The Senate COULD act on impeachment as soon as it passes the House, but the chamber is expected to take up the impeachment trial in the beginning of January.
The White House is pushing for the trial to begin sooner rather than later, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate trial will start in early January, "right around the time the bowl games end," (referring to college football). That timing question is a sign of the growing rift between McConnell and Trump over the impeachment trial. | |
LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL LATEST | | Andrew Yang: Qualified for the December debate with a new Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday.
Tulsi Gabbard: Says she won't participate in the December debate whether she qualifies for it or not. She's still one poll away from qualifying.
Donald Trump: Holds a campaign rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania, tonight (expect it to be lively!) | | | 2
The final number of articles of impeachment introduced by House Democrats against President Donald Trump on Tuesday. 🖋 Chris writes about what happens next | | | | | | |
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