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After more than 12 hours of debate Wednesday, Republican Trump became only the third president in history to be impeached by Congress.

The votes in favor of two articles of impeachment have been inevitable for months, and the final tally broke mostly along party lines, save for a few Democrats, including Collin Peterson, who represents a rural Minnesota district that went more than 30 points for Trump in 2016.

How members of Congress voted on impeachment

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But Minnesota’s delegation, including Peterson, were quiet on the floor during the debate, deferring to members of the House committees that held hearings on impeachment. Instead, members sent out statements, tweets and open letters to constituents to tell them why they voted the way they voted.

Here’s a breakdown of how each Minnesota member of Congress voted on impeachment and what they had to say about it:

: Southern Minnesota, from the border of South Dakota to the border of Wisconsin; includes the cities of Rochester, Mankato, Winona, Austin, Owatonna, Albert Lea and Worthington.

"For a significant number of my colleagues, this will not be the first — and possibly not even the last time they vote to impeach President Trump. Several have openly admitted they are concerned if they don’t vote to impeach the president, he will be reelected. Even the highest-ranking member of this body publicly stated that this process has been two and a half years in the making. The speaker admitted this just months after she told the American people that impeachment would need to be compelling, overwhelming and bipartisan. Yet, the only thing bipartisan about this impeachment is the opposition to it.”

: The district includes Scott, Dakota, Goodhue, and Wabasha counties and parts of Rice County; includes cities like Burnsville, Eagan, Northfield, Cottage Grove and Belle Plaine.

: “After reviewing the public testimony from nonpartisan public servants and officials appointed to their roles by the president himself — as well as the final House Intelligence Committee report — I have decided that this week I will vote yes on both articles of impeachment,” Craig wrote in an open letter to constituents over the weekend. 

“No elected leader is above the law. It is clear from the testimony and the report delivered to Congress that the President attempted to coerce a foreign government into investigating his political rival by withholding congressionally appropriated military assistance to a foreign ally. This is a clear abuse of power by a sitting U.S. president for his own personal gain. It is also clear that the President obstructed Congress by refusing to produce documents and blocking testimony during the impeachment inquiry, which is against the law.”

: Suburban communities in Hennepin, Carver, and Anoka counties surrounding Minneapolis. Includes the cities of Brooklyn Park, Coon Rapids, Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Minnetonka, Wayzata and Champlin.

: "It was often repeated during the course of debate that those voting for impeachment are simply seeking to overturn the results of the 2016 election. It is of course the Senate who will decide whether to convict and remove the President from office — and every indication is that they will vote to acquit. I would remind my colleagues that there was also an election in 2018, resulting in a Democratic majority and a historic freshman class with a mandate to provide a check on this President. We all took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. I am proud of my colleagues who voted to uphold their oaths knowing it may come at the cost of their re-election. That courage has been missing in Washington for some time, and their actions leave me hopeful for our collective futures. Ultimately, Americans will serve as the final judge when they go to the ballot box in November of 2020."

: Nearly all of Ramsey County, including all of St. Paul and suburbs like Maplewood, Woodbury, Roseville, Stillwater, North St. Paul and Vadnais Heights.

: “Withholding vital military aid to Ukraine while attempting to coerce a foreign power to undermine our 2020 election is an egregious abuse of power and an impeachable offense,” she tweeted. “President Trump acted not to protect our national security, but to benefit his 2020 reelection campaign.”

: The district covers the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey counties. Other major cities in the district include St. Louis Park, Richfield, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, New Hope and Fridley.

: “Donald Trump has abused the public trust and overpassed the bounds of his authority. He has used the office of the presidency for his own personal political gain. We in the United States House of Representatives have proceeded with caution and investigation. As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, I listened deliberately to depositions as witness after witness laid out in detail the President’s abuse of power...The evidence is incontrovertible. The president extorted a foreign government in an effort to benefit his reelection —and obstructed the Congressional investigation into that extortion. He abused his oath of office. He must be impeached.”

: Central Minnesota district that includes most or all of Benton, Carver, Sherburne, Stearns, Wright, Anoka and Washington counties; includes cities like St. Cloud, Delano, Big Lake, Elk River, Waconia and Ham Lake.

: "Today is a historic day, but not for the reason House Democrats had hoped. Today, one political party abused the Constitution to advance their own political agenda without a single vote from the other side of the aisle, and with members of their own conference joining in opposition. House Democrats claim they did not come to Congress to impeach a president, but many of them encouraged impeachment in the days immediately following the President’s inauguration. I voted against these articles of impeachment because this process has unfortunately devolved into a partisan persecution.”

: The district covers almost all of western Minnesota; includes cities like Moorhead, Fergus Falls, Alexandria and Willmar.

: “I’m not a lawyer and am not sure what ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ are, but I do know that this process has not convinced the people in my district we have impeachable offenses and that the president needs to be removed. I disagreed with how the Russia probe and Mueller report were handled and think it set the stage for the failed impeachment inquiry. The inquiry and hearing have been partisan and have failed in convincing the country while further placating some people who have wanted the president impeached since he was elected. This process has been a mistake and I will not be whipped in line by my party. I may stand alone but I stand in good conscience. History will show this to be a mistake and the Senate will make short work of an acquittal.”

: Covers the northeastern part of Minnesota; includes cities like Duluth, Hibbing, Brainerd, Baxter, North Branch and International Falls.

: “Speaker Pelosi once stated that impeachment must be compelling, overwhelming, and bipartisan. She has failed her own impeachment standard on every count. In fact, the only thing bipartisan about today’s impeachment is the opposition to it. Impeachment is not a tool to overturn the will of the people. This is exactly what our Founding Fathers warned us to avoid at all costs and I fear that this vote has set a dangerous precedent of voting to impeach whenever one party has control in the House and the other is in the White House. We have a Presidential election next year and the American people deserve to decide the outcome.”

Briana Bierschbach

Author

Minnesota’s congressional delegation mostly split along party lines in Wednesday’s historic vote to impeach the president.

How your member of Congress voted on impeachment

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