Senate Democrats want to block President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court, but this confirmation vote could prove to be problematic for Democrats in traditionally red states.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, who has met with Kavanaugh since he was nominated, noted this opposition. “In fact, some Democratic senators announced their opposition to Judge Kavanaugh mere minutes after the President nominated him. It’s clear that a number of my Democratic colleagues have chosen the path of obstruction and resistance, not thoughtful advice and consent,” Grassley said in a statement after Kavanaugh was announced as the nominee last week.
Susan B. Anthony List is leveraging the confirmation vote while targeting Democratic Senators in red states. They released polling last week (see below) from Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, and West Virginia that showed a majority in those states want to see their U.S. Senators vote to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.
SBA List hours after Trump’s announcement held rallies outside U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly’s (D-IN) office in South Bend, IN, U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s (D-ND) office in Bismarck, ND, and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) in Charleson, WV.
They have also released digital ads (see example below) targeting Donnelly, Heitkamp, and Machin, as well as, U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Doug Jones (D-AL), and Bill Nelson (D-FL).
All of these U.S. Senators either have not commented or made a neutral statement after President Trump’s announcement last week. If they vote yes, they will anger their party’s base. A no vote could land them in hot water with their constituency who have polled in favor of President Trump’s nominee being confirmed, as well as, those who want to see Roe v. Wade overturned.
SBA List relaunched a pro-life coalition of 30 national pro-life organizations and 28 state organizations to that helped to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch when he was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Trump to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
