By Dartunorro Clark and Sahil Kapur - NBC News
Sen. Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, said Tuesday he supports holding a Senate confirmation vote for the Supreme Court candidate President Donald Trump plans to announce this weekend before the November election.
"The Constitution gives the President the power to nominate and the Senate the authority to advise and consent to Supreme Court candidates. Accordingly, I intend to follow the Constitution and precedent when considering the President's candidate. If the candidate reaches the Senate, I intend to vote based on his qualifications, "Romney announced in a statement.
Meanwhile, Trump said Tuesday that he plans to announce his Supreme Court candidate on Saturday.
“I will announce my Supreme Court nominee Saturday, at the White House!
Exact time TBA -to be announced- ", he tweeted.
Trump had reported Monday that the announcement would likely be on Friday or Saturday after the funeral service to honor the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away last week.
On Friday, the casket with Ginsburg's remains will be displayed in the United States Capitol, the first woman to be honored in that building, and a formal ceremony is expected to take place that morning.
Romney's endorsement joins that of Republican Senator from Colorado
Cory Gardner
who said Monday that he
supports the president's decision
to elect before the November elections the replacement of Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday at the age of 87 for complications of pancreatic cancer.
Gardner is critical for Republicans to get enough votes to confirm a replacement on the Supreme Court.
Gardner, who is in a tough race for re-election, is a key vote.
Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who is also in a tough battle for re-election, said they are opposed to accepting Trump's nomination to replace Ginsburg before the election.
[Voters for Biden and Trump believe that the death of Judge Ginsburg will change the election result. But who benefits?]
"I have supported and will continue to support the judicial nominees who will protect our Constitution, will not legislate from the bench, and will defend the law. If a qualified candidate who meets this criterion is presented,
I will vote to confirm it,
" the senator said in a statement.
That likely means that
only two or three Republicans will vote against Ginsburg's replacement
before Nov. 3, which is not enough to prevent the nomination.
Several senators, in tough re-election battles, voiced their support for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in voting for Ginsburg's replacement this year: In addition to Romney and Gardner;
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst;
and South Carolina Senator and Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, who faces an unexpectedly competitive career.
Iowa
Senator
Chuck Grassley
, former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, reversed course on Monday, saying he
will support Trump's decision.
[Tension grows over the vacancy of Judge Ginsburg and Trump insists on "filling that place
"]
"The Constitution gives the Senate that authority, and the voice of the American people in the last election could not be clearer," he said, referring to the fact that the Republican Party has won Senate seats in the 2018 elections.
She is Barbara Lagoa, the possible candidate of Trump to replace Judge Ginsburg in the Court
Sept.
22, 202002: 03
Other Republican senators have no history of resisting their party on such a relevant issue, and it would be a surprise if any of them opposed McConnell.
The Republican Party has a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and even if Republicans lost three votes, Vice President Mike Pence can cast the tiebreaker vote to secure the nomination.
Ernst, who is a member of the Judiciary Committee, said Monday, "Once the president proposes his candidate for the Supreme Court, I will fulfill my duty - as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee - to evaluate the candidate for the highest court. of our nation. "
Both sides prepare for a grueling confirmation fight.
"We're going to have 44 more crazy days," said Charles Hellwig, a political consultant in North Carolina and former chairman of the Wake County Republican Party.
"Let's scream on both sides: The sky is falling, the world is going to explode, all these things."