After some last minute wrangling over witnesses during Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, observers are watching to see how Alabama’s senior U.S. Senator Richard Shelby votes. The longtime GOP lawmaker says he will not be running for re-election. That means his name is being mentioned alongside possible Republicans who might vote for conviction.
Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Susan Collins of Maine have been clear that they believe Trump incited the siege on the U.S. Capitol on January sixth. They have joined with Democrats twice to vote against GOP efforts to dismiss the trial.
However, Washington observers say that Like Alabama Senator Shelby, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania is retiring, and voted twice with Democrats to move forward with the trial. Senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Richard Burr of North Carolina are retiring. Both of these lawmakers voted to dismiss the trial, but Portman says he still has an open mind about conviction.
Finally, GOP Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voted two weeks ago for a GOP effort to dismiss the trial. But he switched his vote this past week, saying Trump’s lawyers had done a “terrible” job making the case that the trial was unconstitutional. Reporters consider him a “wild card” when it comes to the final vote count.