The impeachment trial of Donald Trump while ending in the president’s acquittal could be interpreted as not a total loss for the Democratic party.

First off the entire ordeal could be viewed by most as an attempt by the Republicans to cover up Donald Trump’s abuse of power. During the trial, the Republicans voted down allowing witness and new documents to be submitted to the trial preventing key information to be used within the senate. This could become a very sharp sticking point for Republicans as according to a poll from Quinnipiac University, 75% of voters surveyed were in support of calling on witnesses. Along with this, 49% of those who identified as Republicans were in favor of witness and 95% of Democrats said the same. This could show voters that Republicans were ignoring the opinions of the people they were elected to represent, possibly swinging undecided electors to vote Democrat.

Another one of the unforeseen surprises was Mitt Romney’s breaking of Republican rank to vote guilty on the first article of impeachment (Article 1: abuse of power) was an undeniable blessing for Democrats. This crossing of party lines has no doubt put him in the crosshairs of Trump and his supporters as Romney represents the looming problem of more traditional conservatives refusing to follow step with the president and his rhetoric for one reason or another. Mitt Romney’s speech on the Senate floor could serve as a rallying cry for other Republicans like him who are scared to speak out against the president for fear of being berated by him and his supporters.

Either way the president being impeached will remain to be a permeant stain on him and his reelection campaign. Even so, Democrats still have a long way to go from breaking his support in a more conservative area, but from my perspective on the last current events, the impeachment trial was an overall positive for the Democratic party.