Despite Democrats continually deeming Joe Biden’s candidacy dead, he has more or less maintained not only a dominant lead in the 2020 primary but also in head-to-head polling for the general election. President Trump knows it, and Democratic leaders have made it increasingly clear they know it — but they want Biden to win.

The timing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to finally send over the articles of impeachment to the Senate was curious enough. In waiting to allow the trial to begin, Pelosi all but ensured that Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Amy Klobuchar would be stuck phoneless on Capitol Hill in these crucial two weeks before the Iowa caucuses. Although Sanders maintains a slim lead over former Vice President Joe Biden in New Hampshire and both Sanders and Warren could eke out a win in Iowa, every moment spent in an impeachment trial is one where Biden gets nearly unfettered face time with early state voters.