The seven Republican senators who joined the 50 Democrats in the vote to condemn former President Donald Trump for inciting the January 6 riot at the Capitol are now facing the heat of the Conservatives in their home states.
Party leaders and local Republican Party officials, many who want to gain favor with the broad strip of conservative voters who are still loyal to Trump, have condemned the seven lawmakers for breaking ranks with the rest of the party.
Criticism illustrates Trump’s strong stance on Republicans nationwide despite his November loss and his subsequent refusal to concede defeat.
Polls conducted after last month’s congressional attack continue to show that Trump has a maximum approval rating among Republicans and that about half of the Republican Party is mostly loyal to the former president himself instead of the party.
The Senate finally acquitted Trump on Saturday in a 57-53 vote after an unprecedented second indictment.
While Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only Republican member to vote against Trump after his first trial, this time he was joined by six other people: Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
Some of the senators, including Cassidy, have already been affected by the official reprimands of his state party, while many of the others face a chorus of criticism from local conservatives. Cassidy was censored by the Louisiana Republican Party just hours after her vote.
The backlash against Sasse, who is also expected to face formal censorship, was mentioned directly by one of Trump’s defense attorneys from the Senate.
“There seem to be some pretty smart jurists in Nebraska, and I can’t believe the U.S. senator doesn’t know that,” Bruce Castor Jr. said during a sometimes confusing speech. Castor said Sasse “faces a whirlwind even though he knows what his state’s judiciary thinks.”
Due to previous critical comments with Trump, local Republican Party chapters in several Nebraska counties have passed resolutions calling for Sasse censorship, according to the Lincoln Journal Star The newspaper reported that a state Republican Party meeting was adjourned to censor formally the senator.
Burr, a senior Republican whose vote to condemn Trump surprised most observers, also set fire to conservatives in the home state.
“Republicans in North Carolina sent Senator Burr to the U.S. Senate to confirm the Constitution and his vote today to condemn it in a trial he declared unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing,” said the Republican Party chairman. ‘State, Michael Whatley, in a statement.
Burr is not seeking re-election for a fourth term in the Senate. Mark Walker, a Republican who wanted to succeed him in 2022, wrote in a Twitter post shortly after Saturday’s vote, “Wrong vote, Senator Burr,” adding a fundraising message.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Toomey may also face “possible reactions at home to come.” The newspaper reported that Lawrence Tabas, the president of the state government, said in response to Toomey’s vote that he shared a “disappointment of many of our grassroots leaders and volunteers.”
In general, the reaction is unlikely to cause electoral damage in the short term. Six of the seven Republicans will not face re-election next year, in the 2022 cycle. Only Murkowski, who has served in the Senate since 2002, faces an impending re-election battle.
Some have speculated that the Alaska removal vote may provide a boost for former Gov. Sarah Palin to enter the race in a few primaries. Palin herself has sparked rumors that she would enter the race.
Each of the seven Republicans who voted to condemn Trump has defended his decision to do so, in statements and on social media posts. In a video posted online before the vote, Sasse repeated his warnings about Republican loyalty to Trump and said “politics is not about the strange cult of a man.”
Toomey, in a Twitter post, acknowledged that Trump’s lawyers “made several accurate observations” during their arguments. But, he said, “As a result of President Trump’s actions, for the first time in American history, the transfer of presidential power was not peaceful.”
“His betrayal of the Constitution and his oath of office required condemnation,” Toomey wrote, defending his decision.
Cassidy, in an interview with ABC News on Sunday, said she was “trying to hold President Trump accountable” and that Cassidy was “very confident that as time goes on people will move into that position.”
“The Republican party is more than just one person. The Republican party is all about ideas,” he said.
CNBC has contacted each of the seven Republican lawmakers.
Criticism of senators echoes previous attacks on House Republicans who voted in favor of Trump’s ousting in the lower house. Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming was censored by Republicans in her state after her House colleagues unsuccessfully pressured her leadership role.
Some Republicans who didn’t even vote for Trump’s ouster have been criticized for not being deferential enough to the former president. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., For example, voted acquittal, but strongly criticized Trump’s January 6 rally speech, accusing him of being responsible for the violence of the day.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., excoriated McConnell Sunday for leadership.
“I think Senator McConnell’s speech took a load off his chest, obviously, but unfortunately he put a burden on the backs of Republicans,” Graham told Fox News. “That speech you’ll see in the 2022 campaigns.”
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