With the release of the Mueller report, 2020 Democrats have come to a fork in the road on the question of whether or not the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against President Trump. In light of this, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., became the first presidential candidate to call for his removal.

During a campaign event in New Hampshire over the weekend, Warren told a crowd of supporters: "We cannot be an America that says it is OK for a president of the United States to try and block an investigation into a foreign attack on our country or an investigation into that president’s own misbehavior — so I have called on the House to initiate impeachment proceedings."

Warren argues that impeaching the president is not a political decision. But not only is the impeachment process entirely political, it’s also self-serving.

With the 2020 presidential election a year and a half away, Democrats actually see a window in which they can oust Trump from office without congressional intervention. Warren, on the other hand, is hovering in single digits in the polls in a crowded presidential primary field. With the move, she’s grabbing headlines and hauling in campaign donations like her political life depends on it.

It might be smart politics for Warren, but is it smart politically for the Democratic Party?

According to a CNN poll, support for impeachment dropped seven percentage points from December 2018 to March 2019, where 43% favored it compared to 36%. In December, 80% of self-identified Democrats said they supported impeaching Trump, but that number dropped to 68% in March.

Most Democratic presidential candidates are taking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s words of wisdom when she said, “he’s just not worth it," opting to talk about kitchen table issues that get voters enthusiastic about their campaign. But for some, the elephant in the room is almost too big to ignore.

Democratic responses have been tenuous at best.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has been cautious about impeachment talk, said that "Congress must continue its investigation into Trump's conduct and any foreign attempts to influence our election.”

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said she believes "there's room for that [impeachment] conversation.”

Meanwhile, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg told NBC News that there’s "evidence that this president deserves to be impeached” but deferred to Congress in making that call. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, said he "wouldn’t blame any member of the House for voting for this.”

Others like Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, told Fox News, "I don't think that we should defeat Donald Trump through impeachment.”

The main reason you’re not seeing as many Democrats call for impeachment is because it is a losing strategy that only helps Trump. The more Trump can argue that he’s the target of a political witch hunt, it becomes more difficult for his base to turn against him. Democrats want to be viewed as uniters, not dividers, and there’s a strong case to be made that impeachment will only divide the country further.