Graham: Red-state Dems ‘are going to have a very hard decision’ on Supreme Court pick

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that red-state Senate Democrats are going to face a tough decision on whether to confirm President Trump’s next Supreme Court pick, urging Republicans to “rally behind” the eventual nominee. 

“Red-state Democrats are going to have a very hard decision, and I hope that every Republican will rally behind these picks because they’re all outstanding,” Graham said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Trump is expected to announce his pick to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday, putting Senate Democrats who are up for reelection in states Trump won in a delicate position.

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Democrats in those states risk isolating moderate voters who say the Senate should confirm the Supreme Court nominee. But voting to confirm the nominee could hurt their support among the party’s base. 

Trump’s shortlist for the Supreme Court nomination is thought to include conservative judges Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Raymond Kethledge, among others. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he wants to hold a vote on the nominee before the midterm elections in November, while Democratic leaders hope to delay the vote until after the election.

Kennedy, who announced his retirement from the high court late last month, was often seen as a swing vote on the bench. In his more than three decades on the Supreme Court, Kennedy sided with the court’s conservatives on issues like religious freedom and with its liberals on abortion and gay rights.