A majority of independent voters think the United States is on the wrong track heading into the 2020 elections, according to a new Hill-HarrisX poll. RNA - The survey, published on New Year’s Eve, found that 61 percent of independents said the country is heading in the wrong direction, compared to 29 percent who thought the country was on the right track, The Hill reported.
The issue largely divided voters along party lines, with 80 percent of Democratic voters saying that the country is not moving in the right direction, compared to just 29 percent of Republicans saying the same.
Overall, 42 percent of respondents thought the country was on the right track. Another 58 percent who said the exact opposite — that the country was on the wrong track.
Lawmakers have a number of issues to contend with in the new year, including President Donald Trump’s impending impeachment trial in the Senate.
Trump on Tuesday tore into Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over the uncertainty of the timing of the trial, calling her the “most overrated person I know”.
"They produced no case so now she doesn’t want to go to the Senate. She’s all lies. Most overrated person I know!" Trump tweeted.
The House voted earlier this month to impeach Trump on two counts: abuse of power concerning his Ukraine dealings and obstruction of Congress during its investigations of those actions. The historic vote capped off a months-long investigation that was sparked by a whistleblower's complaint, alleging that Trump used his office to pressure Ukraine into opening politically-motivated investigations into his rivals.
However, Pelosi remains noncommittal on when she plans to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. This has been viewed as an effort by Democrats to pressure Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — who would essentially serve as jury foreman in the trial — to agree to certain parameters for Trump's trial.
Pelosi and her fellow Democrats have been skeptical that the GOP-controlled Senate will conduct a fair and impartial trial, especially after McConnell admitted he would not be impartial.
McConnell and other Republicans, meanwhile, have indicated that they are hoping for a speedy trial that ends in Trump’s acquittal amid a push for administration officials to testify as part of the Senate proceedings.
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