Donald Trump’s team, led by Vice President-elect Mike Pence, is gently sussing out what it would take to win enough support in the Senate to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court — a surprisingly tough prospect with the threat of a filibuster looming and a quick deadline set by Trump.
Behind the scenes, Republicans have painted targets on a mix of moderate-conservative Democrats and Democratic senators facing re-election next year in states Trump won just a few months ago…
Republicans are eight votes shy of a 60-vote threshold needed to break any filibuster on a Supreme Court nominee. But a handful of factors could swing the balance, starting with vulnerable Democrats seeking re-election in 2018.
At the top of that list are moderate-conservative Democrats like Manchin and Tester and others, including North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly. Pence met with Manchin and Donnelly, and also Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine — who could also face a tough re-election bid in a state that Hillary Clinton just narrowly won.
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