The Senate is voting on several judicial appointments Thursday afternoon, and is poised to go on recess until after the midterm elections on Nov. 6. This allowed vulnerable Democratic senators up for re-election to campaign in their home states, while Republicans were able to confirm several nominees to circuit and district courts. The House has already left town, having canceled all votes in October at the end of September in order to allow representatives to go home and campaign for re-election.
Three nominees to circuit courts and 12 nominees to district courts were confirmed by roll call votes on Thursday. President Trump has previously criticized Democrats for attempting to block his judicial nominees from being confirmed.
By the end of Thursday, Mr. Trump and the Republican-led Senate will have confirmed 84 judges since the president took office.
Democrats up for re-election in states which Mr. Trump won in 2016 face considerable challenges this year. Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Bill Nelson of Florida, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, in particular, are facing uphill re-election battles. Mr. Trump has recently rallied in Missouri, Indiana, North Dakota and West Virginia for the Republican Senate candidates in those states.
Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada is considered to be the most vulnerable Republican up for re-election this year. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is also facing a what may be a tight race, with Democratic opponent Beto O’Rourke showing some momentum. A recent CBS News Battleground Tracker poll showed O’Rourke trailing Cruz by six points. Mr. Trump is visiting Texas later this month to rally for Cruz, his erstwhile enemy in the 2016 presidential primary.
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