Conservative groups spending $30M on Barrett's confirmation to Supreme Court
If confirmed, the ideological balance of the court will tilt 6-3 in favor of conservatives
Conservative nonprofits plan to spend about $30 million by the end of October on the battle over Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court, according to a new report.
Bloomberg News reported that groups allied with President Trump are financing a massive advertising and grass-roots campaign in battleground states, running ads on televisions, social media feeds and roadside stops ahead of the November election.
SCHUMER SAYS DEMOCRATS WON'T GIVE GOP QUORUM TO ADVANCE BARRETT NOMINATION
The goal of the multimillion-dollar campaign is to guarantee that Barrett is confirmed to the nation's highest court, which is expected to take place next week. Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to advance the nomination of Barrett, despite a boycott from Democrats who sit on the committee.
But the groups are also hoping to turn Barrett into a political asset for Trump, who trails Democratic rival Joe Biden both nationally and in the majority of battleground states.
Barrett, a former Notre Dame Law School professor until Trump appointed her to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals about three years ago, will be the president's third nominee to sit on the Supreme Court. If she is confirmed, it will tilt the ideological balance of the court 6-3 in favor of conservatives.
BIDEN ENTERS FINAL STRETCH WITH HUGE CASH ADVANTAGE OVER TRUMP
The Judicial Crisis Network has spent about $10 million on TV and digital ads supporting Barrett, Bloomberg reported. On top of that, more than 100 paid field staff from Heritage Action for America, a conservative organization, have run phone banks, knocked on doors and sent mail to people in North Carolina, Iowa, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The group expects to spend $3.8 million by Election Day with the goal of reaching 2.5 million voters.
On top of that, anti-abortion groups, such as Concerned Women for America and the Susan B. Anthony List, have organized events advocating Barrett's confirmation.
Democrats have also sought to use Barrett's confirmation as a political weapon.
MIKE LEE ATTENDS BARRETT CONFIRMATION HEARING IN PERSON AFTER RECOVERING FROM CORONAVIRUS
Demand Justice pledged to spend $10 million to fight the confirmation of any Supreme Court nominee before the Nov. 3 election.
Democrats have accused Republicans of hypocrisy after the GOP blocked President Barack Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland in 2016 on the premise that seats should not be filled in election years, and then rushed to fill a vacancy in the wake of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's unexpected death.
GOP senators contend this year is unlike 2016 because the same party controls both the White House and the Senate.