Support, Opposition Line Up for Kagan
Support and opposition continued to build in the Senate on Wednesday for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, with Republican Policy Committee Chairman John Thune (S.D.) declaring he would vote “no” and Democratic Sen. Benjamin Cardin (Md.) announcing he would vote in favor.
The two Senators are the latest in a growing list who have indicated how they will vote when Kagan’s nomination comes to the floor later this month.
So far, Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet (Colo.), Al Franken (Minn.), Ted Kaufman (Del.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Mark Udall (Colo.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Cardin have all either officially endorsed Kagan or indicated they are likely to vote for her. Durbin, Franken, Kaufman, Klobuchar and Feinstein are all members of the Judiciary Committee.
On the Republican side, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Conference Vice Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Sens. Bob Bennett (Utah), Jim DeMint (S.C.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), James Inhofe (Okla.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), Mike Johanns (Neb.), John McCain (Ariz.), David Vitter (La.) and Thune have all come out against her.
Although Hatch is the only Judiciary Committee Republican to formally announce his opposition, ranking member Jeff Sessions (Ala.) has been very public about his concerns about Kagan’s nomination.