Several U.S. senators who are Democratic primary contenders, but must be in Washington for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, say they’re not frustrated with having to be away from the campaign trail as the Iowa caucuses approach.
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), have to spend six days a week on Capitol Hill to serve as jurors in the impeachment trial. Meanwhile, the Iowa caucuses are Feb. 3, and the New Hampshire primary comes about a week later.
While the trial lasted until about 9:30 p.m. local time on Jan. 22, it was far more grueling a day earlier, as senators were forced to stay in the Senate chamber until the early-morning hours to hash out ground rules for the proceedings. The lawmakers also are prohibited from using smartphones and other electronic devices during the trial, which means they can’t communicate with campaign staffers or send out Twitter messages to supporters.
In recent interviews, the four senators were asked where they would rather be: Washington or Iowa? None of the senators vying for their party’s nomination said they would rather be campaigning on the ground.
NBC News reported that she took a 6 a.m. flight on Jan. 21 to return to Washington from Iowa.
“I am here doing my constitutional duty; the people of Iowa understand that,” Klobuchar told the Examiner, adding that she has campaign staffers standing in for her. “Having people on the ground that are people that see folks in the supermarket or at work—that matters.”
“Look, realistically, a lot of people are going to make up their minds in the last few days in each of the early states and here in Iowa, too,” Buttigieg said. “So we’re going to make the most of every moment that we have on the ground.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden didn’t appear to relish his on-the-ground advantage, but said he wasn’t paying attention to the impeachment proceedings.
