GOP guardedly optimistic Supreme Court fight will help hold the Senate
by David M. Drucker, Senior Political Correspondent |
| September 22, 2020 06:30 AM
Republicans are cautiously optimistic the battle over a vacant Supreme Court seat will save the party’s Senate majority, hopeful the issue will convince disaffected, swing-state conservatives to reelect vulnerable GOP incumbents despite reservations about President Trump.
Senate Republicans have their backs against the wall in competitive battlegrounds — Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, and Maine — and states that typically vote GOP for president: Alaska, Georgia, Montana, North Carolina, and South Carolina. An open seat the party holds in Kansas is also in some peril. Losing just three could put Democrats in charge of the chamber beginning in January. But Republican strategists are comparing the unexpected Supreme Court confirmation fight to catastrophic insurance.
Despite some downside risks, Republicans are expressing confidence that, especially in traditionally red states, the issue will be a net gain for the party. With some conservative voters tempted to support Democratic challengers, either to rebuke Trump or because of disillusionment with the incumbent, the Supreme Court’s injection into the campaign could lure them back into the GOP fold by reminding them why Senate control matters.
Republican insiders are particularly encouraged because Trump vowed to nominate a woman to succeed iconic liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The president is expected to put forward a nominee by week’s end.
more
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,415079.new.html#new
