Sen. Tina Smith, Jason Lewis spar over Supreme Court vacancy [View all]
The heated politics of the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy are spilling into Minnesota’s Senate race, with U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Republican challenger Jason Lewis pressing opposite views on an issue that could reframe the presidential election.
Smith, in an interview Monday, lamented the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week and echoed Democrats across the nation — including Democratic challenger Joe Biden — who believe the Senate should not vote on a successor picked by President Donald Trump before the election.
“I believe so strongly, given everything at stake with this Supreme Court, that the person who wins the election should be the person to choose the next Supreme Court justice,” Smith said.
Lewis, a former one-term congressman and one-time radio personality, said the Senate should vote on Trump’s nominee as swiftly as possible. He said a nine-member Supreme Court should be in place in time for an election in case it’s needed to sort out possible legal fallout from a close race.
Read more: https://www.startribune.com/sen-tina-smith-jason-lewis-spar-over-supreme-court-vacancy/572483831/