PER INBOX: Already NO on Kavanaugh: Casey (D-Pa) Booker (D-NJ) Harris (D-CA) Van Hollen (D-Md) Udall (D-NM). WAITING & SEEING: Jones (D-AL) Hassan (D-NH) Cortez Masto (D-NV) Gardner (R-CO) Cotton (R-Ark.) Paul (R-Ky.). YES: Cornyn (R-TX), Boozman (R-Ark.) McConnell (R-KY)
From Sanders (I-Vt.): “I do not believe a person with those views should be given a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court. We must mobilize the American people to defeat Trump’s right-wing, reactionary nominee."
Collins (R-Maine) on the fence as expected: “I will conduct a careful, thorough vetting of the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court, as I have done with the five previous Supreme Court Justices whom I have considered.”
Portman (R-Ohio) reserving judgment: “I look forward to meeting with him in the coming weeks as he goes through a fair and thorough evaluation process.”
Leaning no: Coons (D-Del.): “I’m concerned about the type of justice he would be on the Supreme Court,” Coons says, but adds later: “I will meet with Judge Kavanaugh, thoroughly review his extensive record, and ask him direct, hard questions in both public and private settings.”
Baldwin (D-Wis.), up for reelection, also reserving judgment: “The stakes are very high for the American people and these are the things that I will be looking for as I review the nomination.”
Very much a yes: @OrrinHatch (R-UT): As he writes in this op-ed, “I will lift heaven and Earth to get Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court” washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds…
Leaning no: @SenFeinstein (D-CA): “We need a nominee who understands that the court is there to protect the rights of all Americans, not just political interest groups and the powerful.”
Reed (D-RI): “I opposed Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to a lower court seat because of his overtly partisan background. I did not believe he was a good fit to serve on the DC Circuit then, and I do not think he is a good fit for the Supreme Court now.”
Definite no: @SenGillibrand: Kavanaugh “would tip the balance of the Supreme Court even more against workers’ rights, civil rights, and women’s rights for decades to come. I do not think he is the right choice for our country...”
No: Durbin (D-IL): “Replacing Justice Kennedy’s swing vote with a far-right jurist like Judge Kavanaugh could change the rules in America.”
Reserving judgment: Donnelly (D-Ind.), facing re-election: “Following the president’s announcement, I will carefully review and consider the record and qualifications of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.”
Definite no: Murray (D-Wash.): “I oppose this nomination and I will strongly encourage my Senate colleagues to stand with me and with people across the country in rejecting him”
Duckworth (D-Ill.): “I will thoroughly review Judge Kavanaugh’s rulings, evaluate his qualifications and look for him to make it clear to the American public that he would be independent, not simply a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s whims, if he hopes to earn my support.”
Menendez (D-NJ): “I cannot support a nominee culled from the rightwing wish lists of the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society.”
Kennedy (R-La.): “I want someone who’s smart, intellectually curious and willing to test their assumptions against the arguments of those who disagree with them.”
Murphy: “I am so disheartened that President Trump would choose such a radical, anti-consumer, anti-woman jurist to be his nominee for the Supreme Court.”
Heinrich (D-NM) focused less on Kavanaugh, more on the process, saying in part: “I refuse to legitimize the broken system Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has created on President Trump’s behalf. ... ... any nomination to our courts should require input from both parties.”
Corker (R-TN): Kavanaugh “a well-respected jurist who understands the importance of upholding the Constitution and applying the law in a fair and independent manner. I look forward to meeting with Judge Kavanaugh during the confirmation process.”
Kaine (D-VA): ““
I’m encouraging Virginians to send me feedback on what they’re looking for in a Supreme Court justice, and I won’t make a final decision until I have met one-on-one with Judge Kavanaugh.”
I’m encouraging Virginians to send me feedback on what they’re looking for in a Supreme Court justice, and I won’t make a final decision until I have met one-on-one with Judge Kavanaugh.”
Warner (D-Va.): “I cannot and will not support a nominee who would take this country backwards by undermining our fundamental rights and American values.”
Shaheen (D-NH): “I will only support Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination if he protects the civil rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.”
Whitehouse (D-RI): “Special interests approved this nominee. The confirmation process will be powered by massive, secretive spending by their phony front groups. That’s why Brett Kavanaugh must convince me he can actually be independent.”
Cassidy (R-La.): “Judge Kavanaugh—solid pick. President Trump kept his promise, nominating a conservative faithful to the Constitution as written, recognized as having an excellent legal mind.”
Tillis (R-NC): “Judge Kavanaugh undoubtedly has the right qualifications to serve as an associate justice on the Supreme Court, and I look forward to meeting with him in the coming weeks in advance of his confirmation hearing.”
Bennet (D-CO): Trump “chose a nominee whose ideology would shift the Court's majority, thereby threatening fundamental rights and failing to check executive power. As a result, I have grave concerns about this nomination.”
Schatz (D-Hawaii): “I will continue to study Judge Kavanaugh’s record and follow his hearing closely, but I have grave reservations about this nominee.”
Smith (D-MN): “I had hoped that the President would appoint a consensus Justice, a person ready to protect the rights of all Americans over special interests and groups driven by political ideology. But make no mistake—Judge Kavanaugh will not be that Justice.”
