The newest wrinkle in Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race comes not from the Republican or Democratic nominees — but from the chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court.
With Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement announcement last week, pundits weighed in on whom President Donald Trump might nominate to replace the frequent swing voter. A conservative replacement could prove crucial in someday overturning Roe v. Wade, which has legalized abortion nationwide for a generation.
Of course, the Senate must confirm Trump's nominee — and Democrat Bob Casey of Pennsylvania indicated that although he's against Roe v. Wade, he's “highly unlikely” to support any names on Trump’s well-known list of potential Supreme Court nominees, Politico reported.
Indeed, while Casey has long branded himself a "pro-life Democrat," Politico indicated "his voting record paints a different picture."
"After a decade in the Senate, Casey has become an increasingly reliable vote in support of abortion rights — scoring as high as 100 percent on NARAL Pro-Choice America’s vote tally in 2016 and 2017," the outlet said.
A recent poll showed Casey with a comfortable double-digit lead over Republican nominee U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, but Politico noted Casey's record on abortion "may complicate" his re-election aspirations.
Barletta's pro-life position is well documented, but following Kennedy's retirement announcement, the congressman reminded folks that he's "100 percent pro-life" and that Casey, by contrast, "voted only 20 percent for life in the 115th Congress," the outlet said.
More from Politico:
The two-term Democrat insists that Pennsylvanians know the depth of his opposition to abortion — one that is closely linked to his father’s reputation as perhaps the nation’s best-known anti-abortion Democrat — and that Washington advocacy organizations and their scorecards don’t say much about moderates like him.
“I think it’s clear to most people that the description of pro-life Democrat is accurate. I’ve been very consistent,” Casey told the outlet in an interview. “What it means is I try to support policies that help women and children both before and after birth. Part of that is making sure you are honest about differences but also at the same time trying to focus on ways to reduce both the number of abortions and the number of unwanted pregnancies, and I think my record reflects that.”
While Casey has voted along with Planned Parenthood 75 percent of the time since 2011, earlier in 2018 he backed a GOP measure to ban abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy, which is "earlier than current law allows" and should "bolster Casey’s anti-abortion record," Politico said. "But for much of the anti-abortion movement, it’s not enough."
Casey voted against confirming Justice Neil Gorsuch — Trump's first SCOTUS nominee — due to his "rigid and restrictive judicial philosophy ... that employs the narrowest possible reading of federal law and exercises extreme skepticism, even hostility, toward executive branch agencies."
Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life Committee — which endorsed Barletta last month — told Politico that Casey's vote against Gorsuch was "telling" and "critical."
Barletta agreed and on Tuesday told TheBlaze — in light of what's to come after Trump nominates Kennedy's replacement — that "one vote in the Senate can shape the balance of the Supreme Court and determine the direction of our country for a generation" and that "Casey’s obstruction of court appointments and turn to the radical left could cause lasting damage to the future of Pennsylvania."
Despite defining himself as pro-life, Casey supports Planned Parenthood funding — and told Politico it's an anti-abortion position.
“The evidence is pretty strong: if you have access to family planning and birth control, the abortion rate is going to go down. There are fewer unwanted pregnancies and fewer occasions where a woman is confronted with that decision if she has access to family planning and birth control,” Casey told the outlet. “That’s why I support Planned Parenthood; that’s why I support Title X.”
Democrats for Life executive director Kristen Day told Politico that Casey's support for Planned Parenthood funding is a point of disagreement but insisted the senator "is absolutely a pro-life Democrat."
“Bob Casey Jr., when he was elected, was pro-life in his first term,” Barletta told Politico. “But he has moved so far left since then he has no record voting for life any longer. There is a misconception by some that he is still a moderate pro-life Democrat, and his record mirrors Elizabeth Warren’s."
