Poll: Democrats want focus on health care, Trump impeachment

Protecting health care and impeaching President Trump are the top two issues that people who identify as Democrats want Congress to prioritize when the party takes control of the House next year, according to a new poll. 

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published Thursday found that 54 percent of people identifying as Democrats said Congress should make the U.S. health-care system a priority. A majority of Republicans — 55 percent — also said Congress should prioritize health care. 

{mosads}The poll also found that 43 percent of Democrats want impeachment of Trump to be a priority. 

The poll, which surveyed 904 Democrats and 840 Republicans from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5, asked its respondents to list the top three priorities they want Congress to address from 2019 to 2020. The poll had a credibility interval of 4 percentage points for Democrats who were surveyed.

Reuters noted, however, that Democratic voters may not get their impeachment wish under the new Congress. While some members of the House, such as Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), have previously called for impeachment of the president, party leadership has so far cautioned against it.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in August that impeaching Trump was “not a priority” for Democrats.

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the third-ranking House Democrat, said Wednesday that Democrats should wait for special counsel Robert Mueller to finish his Russia investigation before considering impeachment.

“To get out in front of the Mueller probe, I think, would be a big mistake,” he told CNN.