Three key Democratic senators, under the gun in Washington to fall in line with liberals pushing to end the filibuster and pack the U.S. Supreme Court, are facing pressure back home to push back against the wishes of Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.
By wide margins in two new polls, voters want West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema to fight the changes or else.
Majorities in the polls said that they would vote to oust all three in elections if they went along with the liberals, results that could complicate their politics in the chamber.
The surveys, provided to Secrets, were conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy for First Liberty Institute and FirstLiberty.org, which are fighting the two proposals.
In the poll of West Virginia voters, majorities said that they oppose adding judges to the Supreme Court as Democratic leaders want. They also gave a thumbs down on changing the filibuster.
Both results bolster the positions taken by Manchin, seen as the No. 1 Democrat holding up the radical changes. By a 2-1 margin, West Virginia voters know about his opposition to court-packing and changing the filibuster.
Asked if they would support his reelection if he changed his mind, 66% said it would be unlikely they’d vote to reelect him, versus 21% who said they would.
The results were similar in Arizona. Kelly and Sinema have indicated opposition to court-packing but have split on keeping the filibuster, with Kelly acting dodgy.
Asked if they’d vote to reelect Kelly if he votes to pack the court and end the filibuster, 56% said “less likely,” versus 34% who said “more likely.” For Sinema, it was 56% “less likely” and 29% “more likely.”
Kelly Shackelford, president and chief counsel of First Liberty, said, “This poll makes it clear that voters in states like Arizona and West Virginia expect their leaders to preserve the independence of the judiciary. Senators Manchin, Sinema, and Kelly have stated that they oppose court-packing and ending the filibuster. That’s good. But voters back home want reassurance that their rhetoric will turn into the kind of action that preserves our democracy.”
