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Democrats call on Sen. Rob Portman to have a confirmation hearing on the president’s Supreme Court nominee
YOUNGSTOWN
Democrats continue to go after U.S. Sen. Rob Portman for waiting until a new president takes office before filling a vacant seat on the Supreme Court.
David Betras, chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, and former U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach will be joined today by other Democrats outside the Nathaniel R. Jones Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse downtown to criticize Portman, a Republican from the Cincinnati area, for his decision.
“It has now been more than two months since President [Barack] Obama nominated Judge [Merrick] Garland to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, but Sen. Portman continues to refuse to do his job,” Betras said.
“It’s clear that this is purely a political move since on Monday, Portman had no problem voting to confirm another federal judge.”
Betras said it was “another example of how Portman does the bidding of Washington insiders and D.C. power brokers rather than listening to the people of Ohio.”
Michawn Rich, a Portman campaign spokeswoman, said, “The only thing more hypocritical than Ted Strickland talking about jobs and the economy is Ted Strickland having his allies talk about judicial appointments on his behalf.”
Strickland, a former governor, is Portman’s Democratic opponent for the Senate seat.
“It is shameful that the Democrats are so desperate to save Ted Strickland’s low-energy, ‘invisible,’ and floundering campaign that they are willing to do or say anything to paper over his record,” Rich said.
Dettelbach joined U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and other Democrats on May 5 in Youngstown to urge Senate Republicans to give Judge Garland a hearing.