Here’s a look at those individuals’ political fortunes:
Cheney has arguably become the most vocal critic of the former leader of her party, which has in return led to her receiving significant scorn from Trump and his supporters. She has repeatedly attempted to make the case on the select committee investigating Jan. 6 that Trump was directly responsible for the violent insurrection. As a result, the former president endorsed Cheney’s primary opponent, Harriet Hageman, who won in August, thus ending the former House Republican Conference chair’s congressional career — but not influence. She endorsed several Democrats who defeated Trump loyalists in the general election.
Rice was a frequent supporter of Trump during his presidency — a move that was in part influenced by the former president’s popularity in the lawmaker’s conservative district. But following the insurrection, the lawmaker called Trump’s behavior an “utter failure” and “inexcusable” and voted to reprimand him. An angry Trump responded by endorsing Rice’s primary opponent, leading to the end of the lawmaker’s nearly decade-long congressional career.
Rep. David G. Valadao (R-Calif.)
Valadao represents a district that President Biden won in 2020, which may have factored into his willingness to work with Democrats since first arriving in Congress a decade ago. The lawmaker called Trump “a driving force” in the Jan. 6 attacks and went on to describe the president’s words as “un-American” and “abhorrent.” He was locked in a tight battle to retain his seat representing the largely Latino district more than a week after Election Day, and finally won narrowly.
Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.)
Meijer was a freshman when he headed to Washington to represent a district previously represented by a lawmaker who voted in favor of Trump’s first impeachment. Meijer followed suit after the insurrection accusing Trump of shrinking “from leadership when our country needed it most” when he refused to encourage his supporters to back down. The former president responded by endorsing Meijer’s primary opponent, John Gibbs. In the general election, Democrat Hillary Scholten defeated Gibbs and will be the first Democrat to hold the seat in four decades.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.)
The lawmaker arrived in Washington with the class of tea-party Republicans promising to hold the White House responsible for its actions, and claimed to be doing just that following the attack on the Capitol. Herrera Beutler represented a swing district, which may have influenced her decision to vote for Trump’s impeachment. But that decision caused the former president to back a Trump loyalist in the primary election, election-denier Joe Kent. In the general election, Democrats flipped the seat as business owner Marie Gluesenkamp Perez defeated Kent.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
Kinzinger’s decision to impeach Trump came as no surprise, as he was probably the most vocal critic of the former president in the GOP before Jan. 6 despite coming from a district Trump won. But following the attack, the Air Force veteran argued that Trump’s actions qualified as “an impeachable offense.” Kinzinger went on to accuse the former president of inciting the insurrection. He also joined the select committee tying Trump to the violent mob that put lawmakers’ lives in jeopardy, before announcing his retirement from Congress.
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.)
Newhouse wasn’t the most visible lawmaker, but he made his voice known when he not only backed impeaching Trump but challenged his fellow party members to do the same. After the insurrection, he argued that “a vote against impeachment is a vote to validate unacceptable violence.” Newhouse went on to retire from representing his conservative district after less than a decade in Congress.
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio)
Gonzalez had only been in Congress for two terms when he accused his party’s leader of helping “organize and incite a mob” that attacked lawmakers hoping to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The former NFL player represented a district that Trump won easily, thus making it difficult for him to continue to support the will of most of his constituents. He eventually announced his retirement months after the insurrection.
Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.)
Upton has represented a moderate district for more than three decades. He has quite the track record of working across the aisle and was one of the Republicans whom Biden appeared to be mindful of when reminiscing about GOP lawmakers committed to bipartisanship. Upton supported the move to certify the 2020 election and criticized Trump for trying to impede the peaceful transfer of power” before retiring from lawmaking.
Rep. John Katko (R- N.Y.)
The lawmaker, who represents a moderate district in the former president’s home state, was critical of him after the events of Jan. 6. Trump “encouraged this insurrection,” the former federal prosecutor said before backing impeachment. Katko went on to announce his retirement before watching Republicans gain more control in New York than many people expected after the midterms.
