Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said Monday that he remains unsure if he will support Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s pick to replace former Associate Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, but is “open” to doing so.
Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Tester called on his Senate Democratic colleagues to also meet with Gorsuch and give him a “fair shake,” calling it a “good meeting.”
“I have not made a decision on that yet, but I am open,” Tester said.
“I had a good meeting with nominee Gorsuch,” Tester said, noting that the pair discussed issues such as the involvement of corporations in elections and clean air and water.
“I would encourage all of my fellow senators to meet with him, give him a fair shake. He deserves that,” Tester said. “In the meantime, I will be doing some research on some of the decisions he has made. We’re going to be listening to Montanans about this nominee and we’re going to be determining whether he matches up well with Montana values.”
Unless Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invokes the so-called “nuclear option,” lowering the threshold to 51 votes, Gorsuch will need 60 votes to advance in the Senate toward a final confirmation vote, which means finding at least eight votes from Senate Democrats.
Tester is one of 10 Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2018, many of whom are viewed possibilities to support Gorsuch.
Gorsuch had two planned meeting with Senate Democratic members on Monday — Tester and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will consider the nomination.
