I know Alaskans love Alaska but saving the nation, the Supreme Court and the Senate is more important ATM. I really really hope that former Rep. Peltola runs for Senate. If we win Maine, North Carolina, Texas and Alaska, it would be enough to stop Alito and Thomas from retiring. I bet they won't bow down to the pressure from Nov 2026 to Jan 2027.
I know Alaskans love Alaska but saving the nation, the Supreme Court and the Senate is more important ATM. I really really hope that former Rep. Peltola runs for Senate. If we win Maine, North Carolina, Texas and Alaska, it would be enough to stop Alito and Thomas from retiring. I bet they won't bow down to the pressure from Nov 2026 to Jan 2027.
If Republicans badly lose only the House but not the Senate in the midterms, I am confident that they'll put a lot of pressure on Alito and Thomas to retire.
Better yet, divine intervention in the form of old age and ill health may well retire Alito and Thomas. I would love to see Trump unable to fill these two SCOTUS seats, shifting the balance of the court for his last two years тАУ and then have the next Democratic President name their replacements!
Dems would have to not only win the Senate but also find the courage to play hardball and defy the Constitution in order to fight fire with fire. However, since McConnell set the precedent and went first, which Dems would never have done themselves, I'm fairly confident even traditionalist Dems will refuse to fill Supreme Court seats with nominees from Republican presidents.
Schumer could give him a list of Biden nominees and refuse any Federalist Society picks from the WH. Play hardball and say "you can pick these judges or we won't confirm ANYONE."
Pick one of these judges or тАУ true to the tradition established by Mitch McConnell тАУ we wonтАЩt even give your nominee a hearing. (Except, perhaps, to eviscerate them and highlight how theyтАЩre unqualified, before rejecting them.)
I agree on what dems should do in that scenario. I am far less confident in Schumer's actually committing to it. Refusing to commit to long fights that go against political tradition is a habit he's making...
There's nothing in the constitution that requires the Senate to approve any nominees, and on the contrary, the Founding Fathers expected each branch of government to jealously guard its power, which Congress hasn't been doing under a trifecta.
Caveat that I donтАЩt live in Alaska, so maybe IтАЩm way off base, but I think State Senator Scott Kawasaki would be Democrats strongest option for either the Senate or the House. He currently holds a Trump/Sullivan district in the State Senate.
He first rose to power in the legislature during the 2018 wave. In 2014 the district he won (Senate district A) voted 60-39 for Republican Pete Kelly. He unseated the then State Senate president by 51-49 (youтАЩll become very familiar with this margin as I explain further below), a flip to the Democrats. Redistricting changed the district to Senate district P and massively changed the boundaries from including the coastline to mostly downtown Fairbanks.
Still, the new district voted for Trump in 2020 and 2024. Meanwhile for 2022 the rules of elections in Alaska changed and instead a 1 v 1 race, it was a nonpartisan primary then general/runoff. This is where he pulled off 2 even more impressive feats than taking down the Senate President. In the 2022 primary he was down 51-49 R-D in the primary to the 2 Republicans running. He won 51-42-6 D-R-R (or 51-48 combined R vote) in the general election.
In 2024 he pulled off an even more astounding victory, suggesting a strong personal brand separating him from Democrats overall in Alaska. He was once again down in the primary 51-49, but this time to a single GOP opponent. In the general election though he beat his opponent by (you probably have already guessed it by now) 51-48.
I donтАЩt think thereтАЩs a stronger Democrat able to consistently win extremely close and hard fought campaigns in red territory, earning crucial Trump crossover voters save for maybe Mary Peltola who is no longer in office, while Scott Kawasaki is still a State Senator. WhoтАЩs actually the stronger candidate can be debated obviously, but thereтАЩs no doubt regarding KawasakiтАЩs electoral strength imo: heтАЩs in the same league as her.
A Kawasaki/Peltola federal ticket is probably the dream scenario for Democrats regardless of who runs for Senate or House. If IтАЩm a Democratic recruiter IтАЩm blowing up his phone to get Kawasaki to run for Senate, because the House district isnтАЩt needed for a Democratic majority, but the Senate seat likely would be.
I know Alaskans love Alaska but saving the nation, the Supreme Court and the Senate is more important ATM. I really really hope that former Rep. Peltola runs for Senate. If we win Maine, North Carolina, Texas and Alaska, it would be enough to stop Alito and Thomas from retiring. I bet they won't bow down to the pressure from Nov 2026 to Jan 2027.
I think Alito and Thomas enjoy the perks and power far too much to ever retire, even if it means risking handing their seats to liberals.
If Republicans badly lose only the House but not the Senate in the midterms, I am confident that they'll put a lot of pressure on Alito and Thomas to retire.
TheyтАЩre also clearly team players considering who donтАЩt care about the law at all. TheyтАЩll do whatтАЩs best for their beliefs is my guess.
Better yet, divine intervention in the form of old age and ill health may well retire Alito and Thomas. I would love to see Trump unable to fill these two SCOTUS seats, shifting the balance of the court for his last two years тАУ and then have the next Democratic President name their replacements!
Dems would have to not only win the Senate but also find the courage to play hardball and defy the Constitution in order to fight fire with fire. However, since McConnell set the precedent and went first, which Dems would never have done themselves, I'm fairly confident even traditionalist Dems will refuse to fill Supreme Court seats with nominees from Republican presidents.
Schumer could give him a list of Biden nominees and refuse any Federalist Society picks from the WH. Play hardball and say "you can pick these judges or we won't confirm ANYONE."
Pick one of these judges or тАУ true to the tradition established by Mitch McConnell тАУ we wonтАЩt even give your nominee a hearing. (Except, perhaps, to eviscerate them and highlight how theyтАЩre unqualified, before rejecting them.)
I agree on what dems should do in that scenario. I am far less confident in Schumer's actually committing to it. Refusing to commit to long fights that go against political tradition is a habit he's making...
There's nothing in the constitution that requires the Senate to approve any nominees, and on the contrary, the Founding Fathers expected each branch of government to jealously guard its power, which Congress hasn't been doing under a trifecta.
Peltola's preference for the governorship over the Senate is understandable. Commuting between D.C. and Anchorage is utterly exhausting.
I suspect that it is also an easier race to win and it would keep her politically relevant for a future senate race.
Have we got any good candidates in Alaska for whatever race Peltola does not run in?
Caveat that I donтАЩt live in Alaska, so maybe IтАЩm way off base, but I think State Senator Scott Kawasaki would be Democrats strongest option for either the Senate or the House. He currently holds a Trump/Sullivan district in the State Senate.
He first rose to power in the legislature during the 2018 wave. In 2014 the district he won (Senate district A) voted 60-39 for Republican Pete Kelly. He unseated the then State Senate president by 51-49 (youтАЩll become very familiar with this margin as I explain further below), a flip to the Democrats. Redistricting changed the district to Senate district P and massively changed the boundaries from including the coastline to mostly downtown Fairbanks.
Still, the new district voted for Trump in 2020 and 2024. Meanwhile for 2022 the rules of elections in Alaska changed and instead a 1 v 1 race, it was a nonpartisan primary then general/runoff. This is where he pulled off 2 even more impressive feats than taking down the Senate President. In the 2022 primary he was down 51-49 R-D in the primary to the 2 Republicans running. He won 51-42-6 D-R-R (or 51-48 combined R vote) in the general election.
In 2024 he pulled off an even more astounding victory, suggesting a strong personal brand separating him from Democrats overall in Alaska. He was once again down in the primary 51-49, but this time to a single GOP opponent. In the general election though he beat his opponent by (you probably have already guessed it by now) 51-48.
I donтАЩt think thereтАЩs a stronger Democrat able to consistently win extremely close and hard fought campaigns in red territory, earning crucial Trump crossover voters save for maybe Mary Peltola who is no longer in office, while Scott Kawasaki is still a State Senator. WhoтАЩs actually the stronger candidate can be debated obviously, but thereтАЩs no doubt regarding KawasakiтАЩs electoral strength imo: heтАЩs in the same league as her.
A Kawasaki/Peltola federal ticket is probably the dream scenario for Democrats regardless of who runs for Senate or House. If IтАЩm a Democratic recruiter IтАЩm blowing up his phone to get Kawasaki to run for Senate, because the House district isnтАЩt needed for a Democratic majority, but the Senate seat likely would be.
What a great post!