McSally says current Senate should vote on Trump nominee

Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) said the current Senate should hold a vote on President Trump’s nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg broke barriers for all women. My prayers are with her family in this difficult time,” McSally tweeted.

“This U.S. Senate should vote on President Trump’s next nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court,” she added in a follow-up tweet. 

This U.S. Senate should vote on President Trump’s next nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court.

— Martha McSally (@SenMcSallyAZ) September 19, 2020

McSally’s remarks followed similar comments from Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) who said Trump “has every right to pick a new justice before the election.”

The comments from the two senators come ahead of what is expected to be a fierce fight over whether to confirm Trump’s possible nominee.

Republicans blocked President Obama from having his Supreme Court nominee confirmed after the 2016 death of Justice Antonin Scalia, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Friday night he will work to confirm Trump’s pick. 

The Kentucky Republican said this vacancy is different because the same party controls the Senate and White House. In 2016 the GOP held the Senate and Democrats controlled the White House.

“[A]mericans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary. Once again, we will keep our promise,” he said in a statement. “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.”

Prior to her death, Ginsburg, a reliable liberal, said she wanted a new president to replace her on the high court.

In a statement to her granddaughter that was obtained by NPR, Ginsburg said “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

The intense partisan fight over Ginsburg’s possible successor is likely to emerge as a top issue in Senate races across the country, including in Arizona.

Polls show McSally, who was appointed to her seat and running to fill the term of the late Sen. John McCain (R), significantly behind former astronaut Mark Kelly. She has notably struggled to rally the conservative base around her candidacy and has worked to shore up Republican support by casting herself as a staunch ally of the White House.

In a statement, Kelly did not mention a possible confirmation vote on a Supreme Court nominee but did praise Ginsburg’s service on the bench. 

“Justice Ginsburg dedicated her life to making our country more just and fair. She fought cancer with the same ferocity she fought for civil rights and equality. I am in awe of how much Justice Ginsburg accomplished in her lifetime, leaving a legacy that impacted women’s rights and equal protection under the law for all Americans,” he said.