Almost six months later, Mr Trump is the nominee and looks poised to deliver a devastating loss for the Republican Party in the presidential election.
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Certainly Garland is not a conservative, and will not walk in the footsteps of the late Antonin Scalia, the justice he would replace on the High Court. But many think Mr McConnell and the Judiciary Committee chair, Senator Charles Grassley, would renege on their pledge after Mrs Clinton had won the White House in November.
He praised Garland and said Clinton’s team would not want to “rock the boat” with a new pick. In the course of his campaign, Mr Trump has shown how little political cost comes with repeatedly disavowing one’s previous positions.
Given the Republicans’ recalcitrance so far, such pressure might seem pointless.
The Constitution also provides that “the president shall have power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session”. So does nominating presidential candidates with such limited appeal to the broad electorate. (The fourth-oldest justice, Clarence Thomas, is only 68.) But these elderly jurists are nimble of both mind and body, and only Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a two-time cancer survivor, has had serious health concerns.
A number of Republican senators in tough re-election fights are trying to distance themselves from their party’s controversial nominee, yet they refuse to hold a vote on Garland, Reid said. They shouldn’t compound their mistake by turning down a Supreme Court appointee who is as close to moderate as they’re likely to see for a long, long time. The longer that can be delayed, from Republicans’ point of view, the better. Over the weekend, Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen.
Twenty-four GOP-held seats are on the ballot this year, compared with 10 for Democrats, he noted.
After the luncheon, Tucker said that she just felt that avoiding talking about Trump at the luncheon was a example of the Senate leader not doing enough to support the Republican nominee.
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With the election less than three months away, McConnell said Republicans are in “a dogfight”, and listed GOP-held seats in New Hampshire, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida and in as “very competitive”. The opposition party typically does well in midterm elections.
