Susan Collins: Whoever Wins The Presidential Election Should Fill SCOTUS Vacancy

Enlarge this image

Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ 2018 vote in favor of President Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, has been a notable issue for Maine voters.

Greg Nash/The Hill/Bloomberg via Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Greg Nash/The Hill/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Death Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Sources: Trump Considers Barrett, Lagoa, Thapar For Supreme Court Spot

Death Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Trump Says GOP Should Select A New Supreme Court Justice ‘Without Delay’

Collins, who’s often a key vote in Senate battles, faces a tough reelection fight in Maine, as recent polling has her trailing challenger Sara Gideon, the Democratic state House speaker. Collins’ 2018 vote in favor of President Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, has been a notable issue for Maine voters.

Collins’ statement follows a pledge Friday night from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that «President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.»

Trump has said the GOP should select a new justice «without delay,» while his opponent, Democratic nominee Joe Biden, has said the Senate shouldn’t take up the vacancy until after voters have expressed their choice in the election.

As NPR’s Kelsey Snell noted, Collins told The New York Times earlier this month that she opposes a Supreme Court confirmation process in October, so close to the election.

Another key Senate vote, Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, has also said she wouldn’t support confirming a new justice until after the presidential election.