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Seven Senate Democrats have followed Sen. Jeff Merkley’s (D-OR) lead, and have come out swinging against popular vote loser Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, showing other Democrats how it's done. ThinkProgress's Ian Millhiser is keeping track of who has the spines, and who needs to be hearing from us.
- Sen. Cory Booker (NJ) was short and sweet with a tweet: "I will not vote for Judge Gorsuch. I will oppose his nomination."
- Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH) says: "The people of Ohio deserve Supreme Court Justices who will defend the rights of working families over Wall Street and corporate special interests — and Judge Gorsuch’s record doesn’t pass that test."
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) says, in part: "I plan to stand up for individuals over corporations and oppose his nomination, and I will insist that his nomination meet a traditional 60 vote threshold."
- Sen. Ed Markey (MA) weighs in: "Judge Gorsuch has authored or joined opinions that have demonstrated hostility to women’s reproductive rights, commonsense environmental regulations, and the rights of workers, consumers, and the disabled. I will not support the nomination of Judge Gorsuch."
- Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR) lays down a marker: "This is a stolen seat being filled by an illegitimate and extreme nominee, and I will do everything in my power to stand up against this assault on the Court."
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) is succinct: "We don’t need another justice who spends his time looking out for those with money and influence. Based on the long and well-established record of Judge Gorsuch, I will oppose his nomination."
- Sen. Ron Wyden (OR) immediately responded: "The Gorsuch nomination represents a breathtaking retreat from the notion that Americans have a fundamental right to Constitutional liberties, and harkens back to the days when politicians restricted a people’s rights on a whim. ... No Senator who believes that individual rights are reserved to the people, and not the government, can support this nomination."
There are another 25 Millhiser puts into the "almost there" category, those "who released strongly worded statements criticizing Gorsuch directly, but have not yet explicitly said that they will oppose his nomination." These 25 are probably not a concern and are not likely to actually break ranks on a filibuster the Spineful Eight above have guaranteed, they just need a little reinforcement. They are: Sens. Tammy Baldwin (WI), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Maria Cantwell (WA), Ben Cardin (MD), Tom Carper (DE), Bob Casey (PA), Chris Coons, (DE), Tammy Duckworth (IL), Dick Durbin (IL), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Al Franken (MN), Kamala Harris (CA), Martin Heinrich (NM), Mazie Hirono (HI), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Patrick Leahy (VT), Patty Murray (WA), Jack Reed (RI), Bernie Sanders (VT), Brian Schatz (HI), Chuck Schumer (NY), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Debbie Stabenow (MI), Tom Udall (NM), and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI).
Then there's where we need to focus the most attention, those "senators who put out non-committal statements, who used their statements to outline broad principles without applying those principles to Judge Gorsuch’s record, or who complained about Trump or the treatment of Garland without indicating that those complaints will lead them to vote 'no.'" Note that not one Democrat has said they'll be on board with Trump's nominee. Nonetheless, these 15 should get some calls: Sens. Michael Bennet (CO), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), Joe Donnelly (IN), Maggie Hassan (NH), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Tim Kaine (VA), Angus King (ME), Joe Manchin (WV), Claire McCaskill (MO), Bob Menendez (NJ), Chris Murphy (CT), Bill Nelson (FL), Gary Peters (MI), Jon Tester (MT), Mark Warner (VA).
This list is subject to change by the hour as we learn more about Gorsuch's really troubling record, and your calls and emails start pushing them toward taking a stand. It's clear from the newly activated resister Bob Casey that your calls are making a huge difference. So keep it up!