INSIDE HOUSE DEMS’ ABORTION STRATEGY They turned the reversal of Roe v. Wade into campaign rocket fuel two years ago, denying the GOP its hopes for a “red wave." Now House Democrats are preparing to try to again sink vulnerable Republicans on abortion. Internal party polling data backs up their strategy. Democratic lawmakers viewed a recent survey from their campaign arm during a private meeting on Wednesday that pointed to abortion’s status as a “dealbreaker” for key constituencies ahead of November. The poll, described to POLITICO by a person in the room, found 43% of women and 31% of independents saying they could not vote for a candidate for Congress who disagreed with them on abortion. The same polling showed 69% of respondents in battleground districts believing that GOP control of the House, Senate and White House would lead to significant restrictions on abortion. The result remained largely the same regardless of whether the respondent was in a state with restricted or accessible abortion. (Notably, the polling was conducted before former President Donald Trump said he’d punt the issue to the states.) It may prove more challenging than Democrats expect to link swing-district Republicans to state-level abortion restrictions. Voters will also face a messaging bombardment about the economy, the border, crime and other issues that typically put Democrats on defense — though Alabama’s recent court ruling restricting in-vitro fertilization yielded messaging that took advantage of GOP vulnerabilities. Broadly speaking, Trump’s new abortion position is prompting many GOP lawmakers to distance themselves from any further congressional action to ban it. Battleground-seat Republicans have lined up to repudiate Arizona’s new abortion ban after a seismic court decision reinstated it. “Just like Democrats, Republicans have different views on the issue,” said purple-district Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), who has opposed a national abortion ban. “My view is very, very clear and very, very simple. I believe that we need to respect women and the choices that they have to make.” But Democrats are still preparing to yoke their opponents to the restrictions anyway. If they succeed, they’ll be harmonizing with President Joe Biden’s reelection, which is putting abortion rights front and center. “Some have tried to rhetorically separate themselves, but when it comes to actual work in terms of the bills they support, the votes they've taken, they're not supporting reproductive freedom across this country,” said DCCC chair Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), who was confident voters would still see abortion as a top issue.“The data hasn't changed,” she added. “We've seen this consistently since the Dobbs decision [ending Roe].” — Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, April 12, where we are celebrating being just one week away from a new Taylor Swift album. (Sorry, Daniella…) YOUR MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL COUNTDOWN The Senate is finally set to take up the impeachment trial of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas next week. As Republicans look to draw the trial out — and Democrats look to rid themselves of it — there are a few lingering questions: GOP demands: Republicans are eying any gambit they can use to draw out the proceedings. Senate leaders are currently negotiating those arcane procedural details, including potentially giving the GOP time to make motions or points of order at the onset of the trial. That still wouldn’t mean a full trial – but it would be a moment that Republicans could maximize. “It depends on what Schumer is going to allow as part of the process, whether it's negotiated ahead of time – or whether he comes in and just slam dunks it, puts it in the drawer,” said Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.). “There's just uncertainty in terms of how it's gonna play out.” Some were outright sour on the negotiations, like Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), who said, “Personally, I don't think you should be negotiating with Chuck Schumer at all this … Once you start negotiating away constitutional obligations, like I said, I don’t think it’s a good development.” The timing: The trial was originally slated to begin this week but got delayed by GOP attempts to pressure Democrats. While some senators were originally expecting the trial to begin this upcoming Monday, the articles may now come to the Senate on Tuesday, according to a Republican aide who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. Senate Democrats are still weighing whether to dismiss or table the impeachment articles, which would short-circuit the trial. That prospect is the main source of GOP ire and would prove a massive headache for vulnerable Democrats. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has notably declined to address his plans for the trial, beyond saying the articles would be dealt with “as expeditiously as possible.” The dark-horse option for Democrats: While dismissal and tabling the articles have been the most talked-about options, party leaders could still choose to refer the articles of impeachment to a relevant committee. That would technically keep the trial open, but on the backburner. “If you just look at precedent, right, there's other opportunities rather than just, ‘table,’” said Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) when asked about the option to refer to committee. Indeed, there is precedent for that: The Senate referred articles of impeachment against federal judge Thomas Porteous to an evidentiary committee in 2010. Porteous was ultimately impeached after that year’s midterm elections. As for Democrats, however, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) remains the most-watched vote on whether or not to dismiss the Mayorkas trial. Asked if a referral to committee could be an option, Tester simply said, “Let me think about it.” — Ursula Perano
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