OPINION:
President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick of Judge Neil Gorsuch may just garner the 60 votes he needs to be confirmed to the bench.
After heavy pressure from outside groups, some Democratic senators from red states applauded when Mr. Trump touted Mr. Gorsuch in his address to Congress on Tuesday. Among them were Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Angus King of Maine, who is registered as an independent but caucuses with the Democrats.
Assuming these senators will vote to confirm, that still puts Republicans four votes shy of a 60-vote margin, but grassroots organizations are laying on the pressure, targeting red-state Democrats.
During Mr. Trump’s speech, Judicial Crisis Network ran ads on Mr. Gorsuch on CNN and NBC, declaring Mr. Gorsuch the “perfect choice” for the Supreme Court. The group has already targeted Mr. Tester with ads in his home state, blaming the senator for “creating gridlock” and threatening to “obstruct” the nomination of Mr. Gorsuch.
JCN plans similar, targeted ads on Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill and Mr. Donnelly.
Meanwhile, another group, the Concerned Veterans for America has launched a direct-mail assault in seven states (Colorado, Montana, Indiana, North Dakota, West Virginia, Missouri, and Florida), challenging constitutes to pressure their senators to confirm Mr. Gorsuch.
As the liberal base is demanding nothing but total warfare against Mr. Gorsuch, it looks as though these grassroots efforts are paying off.
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