Former Democratic presidential candidate and Maryland Congressman John Delaney attributed Democrats’ failure to take the Senate to recent “packing the court” rhetoric.
“‘Packing the court’ didn’t help us with the Senate races last night,” Delaney tweeted. “The thing to remember about the ‘court packing’ argument is that it was entirely a self-inflicted wound. Republicans didn’t make this up, Democrats decided to start talking about it right before an election.”
“Packing the court” didn’t help us with the Senate races last night.
The thing to remember about the “court packing” argument is that it was entirely a self-inflicted wound. Republicans didn’t make this up, Democrats decided to start talking about it right before an election.
— John Delaney (@JohnDelaney) November 4, 2020
Following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, some Democrats urged Republicans to leave the seat vacant until after the presidential election.
Some top Democrats, including Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, refused to condemn court packing or say whether they support the process. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer even suggested that Democrats could pack the court legally and that “everything is on the table” if Democrats win back the Senate. (RELATED: America Woke Up Wednesday Morning To Conspiracy Theories About ‘Vertical’ Vote Counts In Michigan, Wisconsin)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized Democrats for refusing to give a straight answer.
A majority of Americans oppose court packing, according to an October poll from Fox News.
So far Democrats have failed to sweep both the Senate and House like some anticipated, with Republicans currently holding 48 Senate seats and Democrats holding 47. There are still 5 remaining races that need to be called, per The New York Times.
Fox News contributor Juan Williams said while the election is close, 2020 is “a chastening moment for Democrats” hoping for a “blue wave.” Democrats headed into Election night with pollsters overwhelmingly showing significant leads in battleground states, leading many to predict a blue wave. However, the race was much closer than most predictions led on.