Arlington, VA – Today Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) announced that she opposes Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court and will vote to support a filibuster, despite her acknowledgement for the need for an up-or-down vote in the past. McCaskill is up for re-election in 2018.
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) has made over 30,000 calls and dropped two waves of direct mail asking Missourians to urge Senator McCaskill to confirm Neil Gorsuch without delay. The group also launched a targeted web ad asking McCaskill to “secure our freedoms” by supporting Gorsuch and is promoting a digital tool which allows constituents to contact Senator McCaskill directly via Facebook, Twitter, and email.
CVA Executive Director Mark Lucas issued the following statement:
“Concerned Veterans for America will continue pushing Senator McCaskill to do the right thing until the moment Neil Gorsuch is confirmed. If McCaskill continues to engage in political theater and oppose a clearly qualified judge, we will look forward to holding her accountable.”
Last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stated his commitment to filibustering against Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch and denying Gorsuch an up-or-down vote. Since, a number of McCaskill’s Democrat colleagues have followed suit, including Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). However, this week, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) announced that they will vote to confirm Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, both citing their responsibility as elected officials and noting that Gorsuch is qualified, objective, and has received praise from both sides of the aisle.
Neil Gorsuch, a graduate of Harvard law who was confirmed to the Tenth Circuit Court with unanimous and bipartisan support, enjoys the support of most Americans, including registered voters and Independents, per recent polling. The American Bar Association gave Judge Neil Gorsuch its highest rating, unanimously declaring him “well-qualified.”
CVA recently led a coalition of over 56 major conservative groups – including Heritage Action, Judicial Crisis Network, and Americans for Tax Reform – and sent a letter to the Senate in Gorsuch’s support.
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