Senators to watch over filling Ginsburg seat
The race is on for Republicans to quickly fill the Supreme Court vacancy left after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, but not all GOP senators are on board with the idea of holding a confirmation vote before the Nov. 3 election. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber. Several, including some facing tough elections, have lined up behind Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s pledge to hold a vote on Trump’s nominee. Others disagree. Here is what key senators have said about the issue:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
The moderate Republican reiterated her previous comments about filling a vacancy in a Sept. 20 statement: “For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed.”
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah
The moderate who is sometimes critical of Trump has not commented. Elected in 2018, Romney was not yet in office when the Senate voted on Kavanaugh and Gorsuch. Spokesperson Liz Johnson shot down a viral Twitter post alleging Romney had committed to not confirming a nominee until after Inauguration Day, calling it “grossly false. #fakenews.”
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine
The moderate Republican facing a tough reelection race said after Ginsburg’s death she did not think the Senate should vote on a nominee before the election, though she left the door open to voting on one after the election. Collins voted for Kavanaugh and Gorsuch. “Given the proximity of the presidential election, however, I do not believe that the Senate should vote on the nominee prior to the election,” she said. “In fairness to the American people, who will either be reelecting the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the President who is elected on November 3rd.”
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo.
Gardner, facing a tight race, dodged when asked about it in Colorado after Ginsburg’s death, according to the Denver Post and other local media. He voted for Kavanaugh and Gorsuch.
Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala.
The Democrat facing a tough race in November has yet to weigh in publicly. He has said previously that he would fight to block such an appointment. But Jones accused McConnell and Trump of dishonoring Ginsburg’s legacy by focusing so quickly on the battle to replace her. “I’m saddened – though not surprised – by how quickly this has turned into a political power play by Trump and McConnell,” he said in a campaign email Saturday. “It not only dishonors the legacy of an American icon, it distorts the Constitutional process – a deliberate process that the Senate has always used to uphold the independence of our judicial branch.”
Jones voted against Kavanaugh. He was not in the Senate for Gorsuch’s nomination.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa
One of the most senior members of the Senate, he told Iowa reporters in July he would not favor moving forward but said the decision was ultimately up to Graham or McConnell. “I would have to tell him that I wouldn’t have a hearing,” Grassley said. “But if he decides to have a hearing, that’s his decision. And then whether or not the nominee would come up on the floor before the election would be Chairman (sic) McConnell’s decision, and you would have to ask him what he’s going to do in that regard.”
Grassley voted for Kavanaugh and Gorsuch.
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas
He is one of the chamber’s institutionalists who could be wary of how filling this vacancy could impact the Senate long-term after Republicans also blocked President Barack Obama’s nominee in 2016. As a retiring senator, he does not have to worry about his reelection. He has yet to weigh in on Ginsburg’s vacancy; Roberts voted for Kavanaugh and Gorsuch.
Nicolas Wu and Christal Hayes