Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at the SEIU Unions For All Summit on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

The impeachment effort continues to cause more harm to the Democratic Party than the person they are trying to remove from office. Politico published an article on Friday explaining how the proceedings will likely interfere with the campaigns of many of the individuals vying for the Democratic presidential nomination.

It appears that candidates who happen to be senators are concerned about how the upcoming trial will impact their ability to connect with voters. With House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she will finally transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate, it appears that these individuals will be facing this problem sooner rather than later. The trial is expected to begin this coming week, which means the five senators competing for the nomination will be required to be present at the proceedings.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, and Michael Bennet will have to be in Washington while the race for Iowa and New Hampshire is in full swing. According to Politico, “Senate Democrats are beginning to concede that they will be at a disadvantage — while supporters of Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden see an opportunity for their candidates to have a stage all to themselves.”

In an interview, Warren acknowledged that the trial will present a challenge when it comes to reaching voters. “There are lots of ways to reach out and talk to people,” she said. “But the best and most important one is the face to face, handshake, a hug and being able to hold up the children so they can take pictures with you, to ask a question to do a pinkie promise. And all of that is lost if we can’t be there in person.”

Warren is correct. Pinkie promises are essential if a candidate wishes to become the nominee. Sen. Booker told The Associated Press that the trial would mean “literally dozens of events we won’t be able to do.” The trial is scheduled to begin after Tuesday, giving the senators time to participate in the next Democratic debate. But soon after, they will be stuck in D.C. to participate. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin also chimed in, “If this were my campaign, I’d want to be right there with the voters to the last minute. So that part hurts.”

Of course, this development will provide a distinct advantage for former Vice President Joe Biden and Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Sen. Tom Carper, who supports Biden, said: “It depends, in part, on how well Joe performs while all of my colleagues are stuck here for the impeachment trial. If he tears it up and knocks the ball out of the park all over the early primary states, then it’s a plus.”

In other words, if Biden, who is the current frontrunner, manages to remember which state he’s in while he’s giving his speeches, and refrains from inappropriately touching women and children, he might just pull this off. Buttigieg will also benefit from the impeachment trial. His support recent dropped to 16%, but this might be a chance to stage a comeback.

If I had to guess, I would say that the impeachment trial will benefit Biden far more than Buttigieg. Despite the fact that the former vice president’s son is a key part of the effort to remove Trump, this race is still his to lose. It’s possible that the proceedings will solidify his lead, and barring any surprises, he will likely be the nominee. Put simply, we should probably prepare for Biden vs Trump in 2020.

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

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