WASHINGTON — The Republican National Committee is spending $2 million to target House Democrats facing tough re-election campaigns, including three in New Jersey, over their decision to investigate whether President Donald Trump should be impeached.

The campaign, the cost of which eventually will reach $10 million, involves a website and both digital and broadcast advertising. The first round of attacks target rookie Reps. Andy Kim, D-3rd Dist., and Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., as well as Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., who is in his second term.

“Democrats promised to reach across the aisle and work with President Trump and Republicans to serve the American people, but instead are now pushing their hyperpartisan impeachment agenda," Party Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said. "We are going to hold Democrats accountable for their ridiculous charade and remind voters that their Democrat representative turned their back on them.”

When they controlled the House in 1998, Republicans impeached Democratic President Bill Clinton on a nearly party-line vote for lying in connection with having sex with an intern. The action was so unpopular that the party lost four House seats in the 1998 election.

Mikie Sherrill ran on a platform of bipartisanship.



But now she backs an impeachment charade instead of representing her constituents. In her own words, “It's time for Congress to gear up & get to work.” #njpol



Chip in to expose her broken promises! https://t.co/TtfM2MZ6u7 pic.twitter.com/yI244Atsyt — GOP (@GOP) October 2, 2019

Andy Kim promised to work with both parties to fix “Washington dysfunction.”



Now he’s backing the most dysfunctional D.C. charade: a baseless impeachment probe. #njpol



Donate to help uncover Kim’s false promises! https://t.co/tPjFoFEgZQ pic.twitter.com/q61HTEIaDh — GOP (@GOP) October 2, 2019

In 2018, Josh Gottheimer said “I'm proud to be the most bipartisan freshman Democrat in the House.”



Now he’s supporting a ridiculous impeachment charade. #njpol



Chip in so we can expose Gottheimer’s broken promises! https://t.co/SKReMhwWC3 pic.twitter.com/nMDIMwFtkq — GOP (@GOP) October 2, 2019

“Congressman Kim has delivered on his promise to be among the most accessible and transparent members of Congress and find bipartisan solutions for the people of New Jersey," Kim campaign spokesman Anthony DeAngelo said. "These attacks from the RNC are a desperate ploy to distract from the congressman’s work and record. The people of Burlington and Ocean Counties are smarter than that, and they’ll see right through it.”

Kim, Sherrill and Gottheimer were among the holdouts as an increasing number of House Democrats sought an impeachment inquiry. They supported the inquiry after revelations that Trump asked the Ukrainian president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter after holding up aid to the country approved by Congress.

“As I’ve said previously, given the enormity of the issue, we need to make sure this inquiry is fact-driven and evidence-based," Gottheimer said. “You can’t prejudge something that is so solemn and could have a lasting impact on our Constitution and country. We cannot ignore some of the troubling early information, but we also can’t prejudge the outcome of something this serious.”

A majority of U.S. voters supported an impeachment inquiry in a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday, 52 percent to 45 percent. They were split, 47 percent to 47 percent, on whether Trump should be impeached and removed from office, a sharp turnaround from a week earlier when only 37 percent favored impeachment and conviction. with 57 percent opposed.

At the same time, 56 percent of voters said that lawmakers who want to impeach Trump now are doing so for political reasons, while only 36 percent said it was because of the facts.

None of the Jersey lawmakers targeted by the Republican National Committee have endorsed impeaching Trump. They’ve all said they wanted an investigation to determine whether he should impeached.

The three lawmakers are on the National Republican Congressional Committee’s target list along with Reps. Tom Malinowski, D-7th Dist., the first New Jersey representative to call for impeachment hearings, and Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-2nd Dist., who remains opposed to an inquiry.

....we are going to have an Election very shortly.” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, Democrat of New Jersey. @foxandfriends Thank you. Just another Witch Hunt by Nancy Pelosi and the Do Nothing Democrats! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2019

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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