Republicans’ line that Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is soft on crime and child pornographers isn’t landing with centrist Democrats. Just ask Sen. Jon Tester.

“I think it’s bullshit. Look at the source,” said the Montana Democrat, referring to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who first raised the issue of Jackson’s child pornography sentencing record. Coming from someone else, Tester said “it may have more credibility. The guy’s running for president, and he says outlandish things.”…

Another group of Republican senators, including Mitt Romney of Utah, Roy Blunt of Missouri and Rob Portman of Ohio, seem to be agonizing over Jackson’s nomination after previously opposing her. They say that they want to support her historic bid to become the court’s first Black woman justice, but are struggling with her philosophically.

Blunt said his “early inclination was: I’d really like to vote for the first Black woman to go on the court,” though he underscored that her view of the law and the Supreme Court’s role will determine his final decision. He also said he didn’t think Hawley’s line of questioning “is out of bounds at all” but declined to conclude Jackson is soft on crime.