Dems under the gun with Supreme Court and Senate in the balance

Andrew Harnik/AP Photo Senate Democrats are about to face their toughest political test yet of the Trump era: a Supreme Court confirmation battle that will play out as they scrap with the GOP for control of the chamber. The stakes are difficult to understate. The confirmation itself could reshape the court for a generation, with Democrats warning of the rollback of abortion rights. And the corresponding political fight may well determine the outcome of key Senate races, where at-risk Democrats will be besieged with pressure to support Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Anthony Kennedy. Democrats are unable to stop the GOP from confirming Trump’s nominee because Senate Republicans killed the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees. But they may be able to sway a handful of pro-abortion rights Republicans — if they can stick together. At the least, Democrats could present a united front that energizes their liberal base going into the midterms. That’s far from guaranteed, however. Three of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) most vulnerable incumbents backed Justice Neil Gorsuch last year. But the dynamics are different for Trump’s second high court vacancy — especially one to replace a key swing vote. Schumer joined the battle Wednesday by drawing a hard line against Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist. And while most Senate Democrats also began ruling out Trump’s likely nominees, the party’s moderates set no such conditions, leaving room to firm up their stances after the president makes his choice. Republicans are already vowing to hammer red-state Democrats […]

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