Support for impeachment reaches highest level in Fox News poll

A record of respondents in a Fox News Poll said they wanted President Trump impeached and removed from office.

The poll released Wednesday found 51 percent of respondents supported Trump’s impeachment and removal from office. Four percent of participants said the president should be impeached but not removed, and 40 percent are completely against impeachment. 

{mosads}Support for impeachment and removal has risen 9 points since July, increasing 11 points among Democrats, 5 points among Republicans and 3 points among independents. 

Voters in swing counties, defined as where Hillary Clinton and Trump were within 10 points in the 2016 election, supported impeachment at a rate of 52 percent, 10 points above a comparable population in July.

Some demographics that typically back the president also had increased support for impeachment, with a 5 point increase among white evangelical Christians, an 8 point increase among white men without a college degree and a 10 point increase among rural whites.

Among the 40 percent against impeachment, respondents cited as reasons: 21 percent thought Trump did nothing wrong, 20 percent said the inquiry is politically motivated and 15 percent didn’t believe the allegations.

A total of 66 percent of respondents said it was not appropriate for Trump to ask foreign leaders to investigate political rivals, compared to a quarter who said it is appropriate. While 43 percent say the Ukraine call was impeachable, 27 percent say it was inappropriate but not impeachable.

Andrew Clark, a Trump campaign official, cited a rise in the number of Democrats polled as the cause for the uptick in impeachment support. 

“It’s not hard to get 51 percent in favor of impeachment when nearly half of those polled were Democrats,” Clark said. “The media should put this poll where it belongs — in the garbage.”

The poll cites 48 percent of the respondents identify as Democrats and 40 percent identify as Republicans. An additional 12 percent chose independent or other.

The House has opened an impeachment inquiry on the president after a whistleblower report revealed Trump asked the Ukrainian president to look into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.

Polls have been showing growing support in public opinion for impeachment.

The Fox News poll surveyed 1,003 registered voters between Oct. 6 and 8 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Updated at 11:47 a.m.