Chris Wallace: Democrats trying to make GOP ‘pay at the ballot box’ with Barrett hearing

Chris Wallace said he believes Democrats are not focused on trying to derail Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, with the Fox News anchor arguing instead that their strategy is designed to “make Republicans pay at the ballot box” next month.

“I think the push on the Affordable Care Act is less about trying to derail this nomination, because I think Democrats basically realize they’re going to be unable to do so. It’s trying to make Republicans pay at the ballot box,” Wallace said on Tuesday. “Remember, the Affordable Care Act, protecting people with pre-existing conditions, was the best issue for Democrats in the 2018 midterm election.”

“I think this is more about politics and the 2020 election than it is about the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett,” Wallace added.

The perspective from the “Fox News Sunday” veteran comes as Democrats have attempted to portray Barrett, who was nominated by President Trump, as “extreme” and a threat to former President Obama’s signature health care legislation.

“This nominee is extreme. Her views are outliers,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters during a conference call ahead of Tuesday’s confirmation hearing. “We are going to demonstrate what’s at stake for the American people and how extreme and hard-right this nominee is.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has indicated the committee will vote on Barrett on Oct. 22, setting the stage for floor vote by the end of October — just days before the U.S. presidential election.

Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Only two GOP senators, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine), have voiced opposition to confirming Barrett before the election on Nov. 3.