On Politics

Wed Jun 5 2024

Sudiksha Kochi | Congress, Campaigns and Democracy Reporter

@KochiSudiksha

Hey OnPolitics readers! Former President Donald Trump could join the growing list of politicians who have been elected after being convicted of crimes.

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee who was found guilty on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, is neck-and-neck or in some cases leading by in national polls against President Joe Biden, your OnPolitics author reported.

❓Wait, what? Yes, if Trump is elected to a second term this fall. He wouldn't be the first politician to be convicted of a crime before winning an office. Some examples include Marion Barry, a Democrat and former D.C. mayor who served six months in federal prison for drug charges before returning to his post and Republican Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, who pleaded guilty to assault, among many others.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

✅How about lawmakers facing indictment or investigation who were reelected? Along with lawmakers who were convicted, there are also lawmakers who were indicted or were involved in an investigation who took office. For instance, former Reps. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who were both facing federal indictments, were reelected to the House during the 2018 midterm elections.

🤝Will Trump join this list of lawmakers? Whether Trump's conviction will harm his reelection bid depends on the mood of the voters. Some polls indicate that voters' views are mostly unchanged and along party in the wake of his historic verdict.