Democrat Phil Bredesen says he believes Senate Democratic leadership should not block a future Supreme Court nominee from a Republican president from going to the floor for a vote. Speaking to reporters Wednesday following a debate with his opponent in the U.S. Senate race, Republican Marsha Blackburn, Bredesen said “I would want to see any nominee by any president brought forward for a vote and consideration and the proper kind of background check.”
Bredesen also said the Senate should “reach beyond party with these nominations, as we did with Ginsburg, as we did with Scalia, both of whom got 95-plus votes.”
Current Senate rules require a simple majority to end debate and proceed to a floor vote on Supreme Court nominees. If Democrats took control of the Senate after the upcoming midterm elections, it would be the first time their party had a majority under the current rules with a president of the opposite party. Bredesen said Wednesday he thinks “the responsibility of a U.S. senator is to advise and consent not to substitute their judgment for that of the president of either party.”
Last week, right before the final vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, Bredesen said he would have voted for Donald Trump’s most recent nominee. During Wednesday’s debate in Knoxville, Bredesen defended his position, which most Democrats opposed. “I think the obligation of the senator is to consider all the facts and not simply come out ahead of time because of the person’s party,” he said.
Afterwards with reporters, Bredesen said he believes the likelihood his party gains a majority in the Senate following the November elections is “minuscule.”
“I always thought they were very low, and I think that’s a very low kind of prospect,” he said.
