Who could replace Trump as the Republican nominee in 2020 in the event he is impeached and removed from office?
- The House of Representatives has opened a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
- Even if the House impeaches the president, the Senate holds a trial and all 47 Democrats and at least 20 Republicans would need to vote to convict Trump of “high crimes and misdemeanors” in order to remove him from office.
- If Trump is removed by the Senate, the Constitution bars him from holding “Any Office of honor, Trust, or Profit under the United States.”
- The Republicans would then need to chose a replacement nominee for president in the 2020 election and there are quite a few contenders.
President Trump is facing an impeachment inquiry by the House of Representatives in response to allegations that he enlisted the Ukrainian government to help him investigate his chief 2020 election opponent, Vice President Joe Biden. And while Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the face of a whistleblower complaint from the intelligence community that accused him of “pressuring a foreign country to investigate one of the President’s main domestic political rivals,” he has seen his poll numbers drop and public opinion rise in support of an impeachment inquiry.
In order to be removed from office, Trump must be impeached by the House and convicted by at least 67 members of the Senate in a trial. All 47 Democrats and no less than 20 Republicans would need to vote to convict him of “high crimes and misdemeanors” in order for removal to come into effect. Even after this highly contentious and controversial political action, the United States would still need to hold a vote in 2020 Presidential Election, where a Democratic Party nominee would be opposed by a Republican Party nominee other than Trump.
While it’s unlikely Trump will not be the nominee, in the event he is removed from office, here is a list of seven potential challengers Democrats could face in the 2020 Election.
- Vice President Mike Pence
Vice President Mike Pence would become President of the United States if Trump is impeached and removed. And while that would certainly make him the front-runner for the Republican nomination, it’s not yet clear what role Pence may have played in the entire Ukraine scandal or if he could be implicated in impeachment charges as well.
2. Mitt Romney, Senator from Utah
While Romney has been one of Trump’s foremost critics since 2016, he is also a sitting Senator and former Governor who narrowly lost the 2012 Presidential Election as the Republican nominee to President Barack Obama. Romney has a major national profile and could step in to fill a post-Trump void in the GOP.
3. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Like Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Pompeo may be further entangled in the growing Ukraine scandal at the White House. Pompeo confirmed that he listened in on Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that sparked the impeachment inquiry. But the former Congressman from Kansas and one-time C.I.A. Director is popular with Trump’s base and is known to have grand political ambitions.
4. Tom Cotton, Senator from Arkansas
Cotton is a former Iraq War veteran who is known for being one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate. He has been a prominent backer of President Trump’s domestic and international agenda, publicly declaring his support for higher tariffs and a tougher foreign policy toward Iran. Cotton could prove popular with Trump’s political base in a nomination fight.
5. Joni Ernst, Senator from Iowa
Joni Ernst is a former combat veteran who has represented Iowa in the Senate since 2015. She has a consistently conservative voting record and made national news when she revealed being a victim to a sexual assault in college and domestic violence at the hands of her ex-husband years later. If the Republican Party does seek a fresh break from Trump in 2020, Ernst could be the most compelling candidate.
6. Nikki Haley, former Governor of South Carolina and U.N. Ambassador
Haley rose to prominence during her time as Governor of South Carolina. She further enhanced her national profile when she served as President Trump’s first Ambassador to the United Nations. Her resignation in December 2018 was one of the few uncontroversial departures by a Trump cabinet official. Trump said Haley did “a fantastic job” serving in his cabinet.
7. Ivanka Trump, Senior White House Adviser to President Trump
Believe it or not, Ivanka Trump could be the Republican Party’s best bet at keeping the White House if Trump is removed from office. Despite the many controversies surrounding his first term, Trump still holds an 84% approval rating in the Republican Party. His 37-year-old daughter, Ivanka, has worked close beside him in the White House since day-one. She could represent the GOP’s best bet at fielding a candidate who pulls in Trump’s political base while pointing forward to the future as the country’s first female president.