Susan Collins: Election winner should make decision on Supreme Court vacancy

There's a lot of speculation about how Republican senators will respond to the Supreme Court vacancy following the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to forge ahead with a confirmation vote, and President Trump has urged GOP lawmakers to confirm his nominee "without delay." But observers have pinpointed a few Republicans that could potentially break with the party and try to push the vote until at least after the November election is decided. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), often considered one of the more moderate voices in the upper chamber, was one of them.

Collins, who is in a tough re-election battle, released a statement Saturday, clarifying that she believes a vote to confirm the nominee should wait until after the election. Collins said "we must act fairly and consistently — no matter which political party is in power," likely referring to the fact that the Republican-led Senate blocked then-President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016 due to the proximity to that year's election.

The senator said she would not object if Trump makes a nomination or if the Senate Judiciary Committee begins "the process of reviewing his nominee's credentials," but, ultimately, whoever wins the election on Nov. 3 should make "the decision on a lifetime appointment."

My statement on the Supreme Court vacancy: pic.twitter.com/jvYyDN5gG4

— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) September 19, 2020