[Pete F.]

I think they assumed that the fact that the majority of Americans want witnesses to be called would move enough of the Senators to vote for witnesses.
Unfortunately they may have been wrong.

Interstingly (sic on purpose) enough, a senator who says he is voting against witnesses had this to say "There is no need for more evidence to conclude that the president withheld United States aid, at least in part, to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens; the House managers have proved this with what they call a “mountain of overwhelming evidence. It was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation."

In other words, he's guilty AF.

The Democrat's choice of strategy will be argued over for decades, assuming the Republic lasts that long.