WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ohio is one of only six states that has U.S. senators from opposing parties, so monitoring how they vote on something significant like a U.S. Supreme Court nominee may say a lot about the current political climate.
What You Need To Know
- Ohio is one of only six states that has U.S. senators from opposing parties
- Though the Senate has yet to vote on Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court, Sen. Sherrod Brown and Sen. Rob Portman are starting to make clear how they will vote
- Jackson’s confirmation hearings concluded last week and a full vote by the Senate will take place in the coming days
On Wednesday, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced she will vote to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominee to the high court, Ketanji Brown Jackson. Collins is the first Republican to back her.
In recent days, Ohio’s two senators — Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman — commented on her nomination. Much like their party divide, it’s looking like Brown and Portman will vote differently on whether to send Jackson to the high court.
“I’m going to vote for her,” Brown told Spectrum News on Tuesday. “She was so impressive. She never lost her cool. Some of the senators were just abusive, and the charges were outrageous. They hold her to a standard that they don’t hold their own people to.
“I think she really impressed a great majority of Americans with her knowledge, with her experience, with her insight, with her wisdom.”
Brown is not even meeting with Jackson until next week, but her performance in last week’s confirmation hearings sealed the deal for him.
It’s likely all Democrats in the Senate will back Biden’s nominee — the question is whether any more Republicans will join Collins in supporting her.
Portman did recently meet with Jackson on Capitol Hill, but hasn’t officially announced how he will vote.
He hinted at it in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“Less than a year ago I voted against her for the Court of Appeals, and I did so because I’m concerned about her judicial philosophy,” Portman told host Chuck Todd.
He later said, “By the way, I found her bright and personable when I met with her. She’s obviously a historic choice for the court, but I don’t think it’s wrong to go after her record.”
Some initially considered Portman in groups of Republican senators who could be potential ‘yes’ votes, like Mitt Romney of Utah.
But Republican leadership in the Senate largely opposes Jackson’s nomination, and Portman is close with them.
The full Senate vote is expected in the coming days.
