Senate GOP says they'll ram through Supreme Court pick no matter who it is

Nearly every single vulnerable Republican senator up for reelection this fall came out to say they will vote for Donald Trump’s nominee to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court — even though the senators do not know who the nominee is nor what the eventual pick’s positions are.

Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado, Martha McSally or Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, David Perdue of Georgia, and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia all said they will vote for Trump’s pick.

With those votes, Graham said on Fox News Monday night that the GOP has a majority and will move forward with the confirmation before the election.

“We’ve got the votes to confirm Justice Ginsburg’s replacement before the election,” Graham told Sean Hannity Monday, adding that he will move the nominee — whoever it may be — to the floor “so we can vote before the election.”

The GOP senators will vote for Trump’s pick even though almost every one of those lawmakers refused to give former President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland a hearing, let alone a vote, in 2016, saying a president should not get to pick a nominee in a presidential election year.

Loeffler and McSally are the only ones who did not say that, as they were not in the Senate in 2016.

The announcement by the senators that they will vote for Trump’s pick means it’s almost impossible for Democrats to get the four votes they need to block a replacement for Ginsburg until after a new president takes office — which was Ginsburg’s dying wish.

Republicans are planning to vote on Trump’s nominee, who will then receive a lifetime seat on the highest court in the United States, even though voters are set to reject them in November.

Nonpartisan political handicappers predict both Gardner and McSally will lose — with polling showing the Democratic challengers in those races ahead. McSally is trailing her Democratic challenger, Mark Kelly, by 6.7%, according to the RealClearPolitics average.

Tillis and Ernst are both in toss-up contests. Polling shows Tillis behind his Democratic opponent by 3.9%, Cal Cunningham, while Ernst trails her Democratic opponent, Theresa Greenfield, by a slim 0.4%.

Graham, Perdue, and Loeffler all face competitive elections as well.

It’s unclear how the Supreme Court nomination fight will impact each individual race.

However, polling shows voters do not want a replacement to be selected before the election, with a majority saying that the winner of the presidential race should get to choose the nominee.

Currently, polling shows Democratic nominee Joe Biden is the favorite to win in November.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.