In February, the House of Representatives narrowly voted 214-213 to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, marking the first impeachment of a cabinet official since Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876. However, when the impeachment articles reached the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and his Democratic colleagues swiftly moved to quash them, sidestepping a trial altogether.
It was a risky move for Schumer, as it put several vulnerable Senate Democrats on record protecting Mayorkas from accountability for the border crisis in a year where immigration is a top issue for voters. Republican challengers to these vulnerable Democrats are already calling them out for protecting Mayorkas.
Bernie Moreno, who is running against Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), called out Brown for dubbing the Mayorkas impeachment a distraction.
"Since Joe Biden took office, 10 million people have invaded our country due to the open border policies of Biden, Mayorkas, and Sherrod Brown," Moreno said in a statement on X/Twitter. "It isn’t a 'distraction' to demand accountability for the drugs, crime, death, and destruction brought into this country because of them."
"Rather than uphold his constitutional duty that Ohioans elected him to do, Sherrod Brown sided with the Washington swamp, once again," Moreno said in a follow-up statement. "By overseeing the worst border invasion in history, Mayorkas has neglected his duties. It is shameful that Brown ran cover for him rather than allowing a fair trial to proceed."
Another ripe pickup opportunity for Republicans is in Montana, where Democrat Jon Tester has somehow managed to win reelection in the past, but only by the slimmest of margins. Despite protecting Mayorkas, Tester is trying to appear hawkish on the border.
'“What’s happening at our southern border is completely unacceptable, and the Biden Administration must do more to keep Montana and our country safe. Montanans want real solutions that secure the border, not partisan games from D.C. politicians," Tester said in a statement last week. "It’s time for President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to use their remaining executive authorities to help secure our border, and for Congress to pass bipartisan border security legislation to give law enforcement the resources and policy changes they have said they need to get the job done.”
His Republican opponent, Tim Sheehy, promptly called him out.
Enough is enough with @JonTester’s phony charade.
— Tim Sheehy (@SheehyforMT) April 17, 2024
Tester doesn’t have the backbone to seal our border, put America First, or hold @JoeBiden accountable for his Border Bloodbath. His INACTION proves it!
Stop the invasion! Secure our border!
Montana, let’s send Two-Faced… https://t.co/djgS5bkmED
Fox News reported that the campaigns of David McCormick, Sam Brown, and Eric Hovde, likely Republican nominees for Senate in Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin, respectively, echoed similar criticisms of Democratic incumbents Bob Casey, Jacky Rosen, and Tammy Baldwin. The Senate map in 2024 is the most favorable scenario for Republicans in a long time, and you can bet that the immigration issue can only help them going forward.
