Democratic Senate candidates differ from party base on court-packing plans

David Drucker of the Washington Examiner highlights a key point of divergence between the activist Democratic party base and candidates seeking to unseat Republican Senate incumbents.

Democratic challengers in key Senate contests are rejecting court packing, breaking with their party’s presidential nominee, Joe Biden, who is dodging questions about his support for expanding the Supreme Court to dilute conservative influence.

Liberal activists are calling on Biden to pack the court with more seats if he wins the White House and Democrats seize the Senate. The former vice president refused to take a position on the issue Tuesday evening during his first debate with President Trump. But Democrats running in a half-dozen critical states quickly declared their opposition, exposing an intraparty rift that highlights how large the issue looms in the battle with Republicans for Senate control. …

… Grassroots liberals are pushing congressional Democrats to retaliate by packing the Supreme Court to reduce a conservative majority that will reach 6 – 3 with Barrett confirmed.

But Democrats challenging incumbent Republican senators in Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, and North Carolina are not interested. And Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat facing a stiff challenge from Republican John James, also opposes court packing. These Democrats believe the scheme distracts from issues that they argue appeal to voters — that abortion and Obamacare could be ruled unconstitutional, and that Republicans who opposed Obama’s 2016 nominee but plan to confirm Barrett are acting in bad faith.

“Mark opposes adding justices to the court,” said Jacob Peters, a spokesman for Mark Kelly, the Democratic challenger to Republican Sen. Martha McSally in Arizona.

Additionally, campaign aides to Jon Ossoff, a Democratic challenger to Republican Sen. David Perdue in Georgia; Democratic nominee Theresa Greenfield, challenging Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in Iowa; Democratic nominee Sara Gideon, challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine; and Democratic nominee Cal Cunningham, challenging Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina, all confirmed to the Washington Examiner their candidates oppose court packing.