Kavanaugh’s Impact On Elections Highlights The Two Very Different Fights Happening For House And Senate
In states where the upcoming battle over Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court could help Senate Republican candidates, it could also hurt the party's chances in the House. Unlike in the upper chamber, where the vulnerable seats are mostly Democrats in red-state districts, the fight for control of the House is taking place in swing-districts across the country.
The Associated Press:
Emotions High As Kavanaugh Begins Fight For Confirmation
Conservative Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh plunged into his confirmation battle Tuesday, meeting face-to-face with Senate leaders in what promises to be an intense debate over abortion rights, presidential power and other legal disputes that could reshape the court and roil this fall's elections. (7/10)
The New York Times:
Who Might The Court Fight Help In The Midterms? Democrats. And Republicans.
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court could very well help Republicans hold or expand their control of the Senate. It could also hurt their efforts to maintain control of the House. That political oddity illustrates the complexities of this midterm election season, which is actually two very different midterms. One is the fight for the Senate, where Democrats are defending the seats of 10 incumbents in states won by President Trump, and the other is the contest for the House, where Republicans are defending a vast and expanding battleground that is every bit as forbidding, with nearly 60 Republican seats in play. (Hulse, 7/10)
The New York Times:
For Midterms, Supreme Court Political Drama Plays To Its Audience
Joe Donnelly knew his audience: Addressing a group of camouflage-clad union mine workers and retirees here last weekend, the Democratic senator trumpeted his efforts to protect their pensions and health care, asked attendees to raise their hands if they knew someone with a pre-existing health condition, and made not a single mention of the upcoming Supreme Court vote that could determine his political fate in November. (Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, 7/11)
The New York Times:
Senate Democrats Come Out Swinging In Long-Shot Fight To Block Kavanaugh
Senate Democrats, facing an uphill struggle to defeat the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, opened a broad attack on Tuesday, painting him as an archconservative who would roll back abortion rights, undo health care protections, ease gun restrictions and protect President Trump against the threat of indictment. (Stolberg, Landler and Kaplan, 7/10)
The Associated Press:
Analysis: Dems Meet Supreme Court Pick With Mixed Message
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, says it's all about health care. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., worries about the impact on the special counsel investigation. And Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., sees an assault that could set women's rights back decades. There's so much for Democrats to dislike about Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick. And that may be the problem. (7/11)