Third House Republican Who Voted to Impeach President Trump Loses Primary Race
Taylor Balkom/The Columbian via AP
Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, 43, who voted in favor of former President Donald Trump's second impeachment, conceded in her congressional primary race Tuesday night after a Trump-backed challenger overtook her in the polls.
Herrera Beutler was one of 10 House republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
Republican Reps. Peter Meijer of Michigan and Tom Rice of South Carolina, who also voted to impeach, both lost their reelection bids this year. Rep. Liz Cheney, perhaps the most vocal Republican opponent of Trump in Congress, is poised for defeat in next week's Wyoming primary.
"I'm proud that I always told the truth, stuck to my principles, and did what I knew to be best for our country," Herrera Beutler wrote in a statement.
Before casting her impeachment vote in 2021, Herrera Beutler said, "My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision. I am not choosing a side," adding, "I'm choosing truth. It's the only way to defeat fear."
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Herrera Beutler's vocal stance on Trump's role in the Jan. 6 attacks distanced her from the Washington state Republican Party. Her successful challenger, Joe Kent, was supported by billionaire Peter Thiel and Trump himself, who held a "tele-rally" for Kent last month.