I’m a Democrat. And I oppose impeaching Trump. Here's Why.

Since Donald Trump’s election in November 2016, numerous Democrats have strongly advocated for the impeachment of Donald Trump based on his alleged conflicts of interests and ties to the Russian government. This impeachment attempt has amassed great public support from much of the American people; at worst, nearly 40% of Americans have supported impeaching Trump and at best a slight majority of Americans have supported impeachment, while numerous American progressives, including major Democratic donor Tom Steyer and dozens of congressional Democrats, have done the same.

Yet the Democrats that support such impeachment efforts ignore the long-term Democratic political gains caused by Donald Trump’s ascension to and occupation of the Presidency. Since Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, Democratic congressional candidates have consistently led national polls, often by margins that would lead to Democratic majorities in the House - an outcome virtually impossible before Trump’s inauguration due to severe gerrymandering. Donald Trump’s approval ratings have consistently been negative for over a year, historic laws during such an early Presidential stage, and various special elections in previously solid-red Congressional districts, such as in Kansas and Georgia, have been close and highly competitive.

But such unpopularity is due to Trump and Trump alone, and does not apply to who would be his sure successor: Mike Pence, who has instead enjoyed a positive approval rating. Without Trump’s deep unpopularity caused by his personal antics and peccadilloes, the looming legislative gains enjoyed by Democrats in the past year will all but evaporate. And despite Trump’s antics and the ensuing visceral reaction from the public, the Trump Presidency would differ little from the Presidency of another conservative Republican such as Mike Pence.

The truth is clear - Donald Trump’s behaviors have been blessedly destructive to the Republican Party in the long-term, but the true actions of his Presidency would differ little from other conservative Republicans’ reactions placed in the same position. But the current political strengths Democratic enjoy lacks no parallel in the current decade, presenting it with an enormous and unparalleled opportunity in the 2018 and 2020 elections, which is a redistricting year; should Democrats captured state legislatures in 2020 they would have the opportunity to reverse obscene Republican gerrymandering and thus give the Democrats further strength. Should it win such elections, a Democratic President would finally have the opportunity to do more than put on a human face to the same right-wing policies that have dominated Washington for decades and instead enact real, progressive change such as Medicare-for-All and free college education that would legitimately help nearly all Americans. The Democratic Party and the American people have been given an incredible opportunity in the Presidency of Donald Trump. We should not throw it away.