Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Saturday said he plans to support a vote on President Trump's nominee to fill the vacancy left by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday, before the election.
Why it matters: Graham in 2016 opposed confirming President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, because it was an election year.
- The senator further said at the 2018 Atlantic Festival: "If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump's term, and the primary process has started, we'll wait until the next election."
Graham contradicted his 2016 statement in a series of Saturday tweets, citing Democrats' treatment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and former Sen. Harry Reid changing circuit-court-judge nominating rules as justifications.
- "In light of these two events, I will support President @realDonaldTrump in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg," Graham said.
- There are just 45 days left until the 2020 presidential election.
Between the lines: Graham, who is the Senate Judiciary Committee chair, is facing an increasingly competitive reelection against Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison. A Quinnipiac poll released this week showed the two as tied.