The race is on for the next Supreme Court Justice following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. This has given the Democratic Party a renewed strength as this increases their chance of having the majority control of the US Senate again.
According to Jim Manley, it has been a very dynamic election so far and the battle for the next Justice will be the main issue of the political debates. He added that it will be a hard fight for the Republicans as they are having difficulties selling their senatorial bets on the states of Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Republicans are now finding themselves in a tight position following the divisive fight over the replacement of Scalia. Candidates that already took a seat in the senate before or those looking for their first term are going to face state issues like abortion rights, same-sex marriage and other social matters, as per Yahoo News.
The Democrats are already in the advantage as they are only looking for 10 vacant positions to fill in while the Republicans have 24 vacant position in the 100-member chamber. The Democratic Party only needs to gain five more seats for it to gain control of the majority leadership.
According to Tucson News Now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the next president should be the one to choose the replacement of the late Justice. But before this, the senate must reassure the nominees for the lifetime appointments as these Justices will have a big impact on national and international issues.
Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy stated if the Republicans decide not to join the hearings, then it will be a clear indication that they already vacated the race for the majority seat. This matter was also addressed by Ron Bonjean, former top Republican Senate leadership aide and current political strategist, saying there is a big probability that republican candidates from swing states may be put in a difficult position and will be taken away from the party ranks. One example of this is Mark Kirk in Illinois who is now facing a tough race, The Wall Street Journal noted.
Meanwhile, Larry Sabato claims a higher turnout of voters could simply mean a higher percentage that a Democratic president will take a seat at the Whitehouse. In return, it would also help Democratic candidates win the senatorial bets. But due to the Supreme Courts vacancy, it would also give the Republican candidates a chance to support anti-establishment candidates like Donald trump and can increase their chances in the senate's tight race.
