111 House Democrats and 1 independent now publicly support launching an impeachment inquiry against President Trump, according to an Axios analysis.
Driving the news: The total jumped after Trump hurled racist attacks against a group of congresswomen of color who had criticized his immigration policy. A major uptick emerged in the aftermath of Robert Mueller's late May statement, and again after the former special counsel's Capitol Hill testimony in July. The total was at 80 members last month.
By the numbers:
- 15 of the 24 Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee publicly support an impeachment inquiry. 21 are needed to refer an impeachment resolution to the House floor.
- Of the 9 Democrats that Axios identified as "influential" — the 3 top members of leadership and 6 committee chairs investigating Trump — 2 publicly support impeachment: Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters and Foreign Affairs Chair Eliot Engel. Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler has reportedly pushed in private to open an impeachment inquiry.
The bottom line: Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long wagered that impeachment would be fruitless without overwhelming public support
- An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll this month found that only "21 percent of registered voters say that there is enough evidence for Congress to begin impeachment hearings now."
Go deeper: House Democrats relish Trump fight over racist tweets...