It was a breathtaking moment when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House of Representatives is opening a formal impeachment investigation against President Trump Tuesday evening. Given the gravity of an impeachment, its announcement is always going to be a historic moment. What made it breathtaking, however, wasn’t that Trump would be investigated. He is already being investigated by the House Judiciary Committee, not to mention that there are several lawsuits filed against him. Trump has amassed three year’s worth of flouting the U.S. constitution and his oath of office. The moment was breathtaking because since Pelosi was sworn in as speaker last January, she has been diligently reigning in the urges of many in her party to rush into an impeachment. To every new scandal, Pelosi has warned, no, we’re not there yet.

There’s a reason why Republicans have disparaged Pelosi so much throughout the years: she’s easily among the most effective, if not the most effective House Speaker the country has ever had. This is sometimes easy to miss since she does it with a smile while wearing 4-inch heels. But this woman who raised five children before entering politics has shown us time and time again the mettle she is made of. And if there’s anything to know about Nancy Pelosi is that she is strategic. If she’s decided that now is the time, then we can be assure the she has a plan behind that decision.

So, many have asked, why now? The trouble with Trump and his constant swirl of scandals, conspiracy theories and plan old ugliness is that it’s wearing us all down and becoming normal. But this situation with the president of Ukraine is a clear example of a presidential abuse of power. Congress approved military aid to an ally. Defending Ukraine is in the interest of the U.S. and even more in the interest of Europe. But Trump asked for this aid to be put on pause and then asked the president of Ukraine to do him a favor and investigate his potential 2020 campaign rival, former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. In other words, Trump withheld military aid from Ukraine in order to help his own re-election campaign.

While Pelosi and the Democrats are deadly serious and are well aware of the risks an impeachment might pose to their efforts to take back the White house in 2020, Trump seems to be having one hell of a great time. The way he openly admitted what he did and had his administration hand over damning evidence so quickly, it seems that Trump wants an impeachment. He also doesn’t seem to understand the gravity of the what he’s done. So far, he’s tweeted a lot and predictably used many of his favorite slurs: witch hunt, joke, harassment and fake news.

To be sure, this is risky business for both sides. For Trump because he might very well be the fourth president impeached by the House and although it is doubtful that a Republican led Senate will come up with the 2/3 vote to remove him from office, it is still the stuff of nightmares for most presidents. More importantly, news cycles over the coming months will be dominated by evidence and testimonies. This might just be the Pelosi strategy. There is so much to investigate that this process will no doubt drag on for months and we’re only 13 months away from the election. Republican members of congress also face a huge challenge. Do they serve their president or their country? If the House passes articles of impeachment, then the Senate Republicans will have a real reckoning to face. It’s quite possible that Senate Leader Mitch McConnell will simple refuse to move forward on the Senate trial. While only one-third of the Senate will be up for re-election in 2020, many of them will face some uncomfortable questions about their duty to uphold the constitution.

Yet Trump thinks this will benefit him and he is right in that it will whip his loyal base of voters into a frenzy. But this loyal base is only about 35 to maybe 40% of the electorate. The big question is what happens with the rest—moderate Republicans and independents—who are sick of the drama. Many of these same people aren’t interested in the country getting dragged through another agonizing impeachment process. The Clinton impeachment is still in the rear-view mirror and the big lesson many people including Trump take from it is that he came out more popular. Of course, he wasn’t facing re-election.

But again, Pelosi has gone into this with her eyes wide open and a strategy in her back pocket. Trump, on the other hand, is having the time of his life because he’s gotten the fight he’s been looking for. It will be up to Pelosi to keep Democrats from jumping into the mud with him. Instead, their success will depend on keeping their eyes on the prize of taking back the White House and the best bet for that still remains letting the people decide a year from November.

This op-ed was published in Spanish in El Español.