Amid Liberal Scrutiny Over Health Care, Nelson Will Vote For Sotomayor
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), the second-most conservative Dem in the Senate according to National Journal's '08 vote ratings,told the Lincoln Journal Star today that he will support SCOTUS nominee Sonia Sotomayor in this week's expected full Senate vote.
From the Journal Star:
In reaching his decision, Nelson said, he was impressed by the solid endorsement of the American Bar Association and by Sotomayor's extensive experience as a judge."The record shows she is not an activist," he said, and that she has "a great respect for the law."
Nelson's support goes a long way to achieving a unanimous Dem caucus in the Senate vote, which is likely to come late this week. The only Dem senator rated more conservative than Nelson in '08 is Sen. Evan Bayh (IN), who announced last week that he would support Sotomayor.
Among undecided Dems, Sen. Mark Begich (AK) could possibly buck the party and oppose Sotomayor due to her past gun-rights decisions as a circuit courrt judge. But the list of undecided, moderate-to-conservative Dems is dwindling.
Nelson has drawn the ire of progressives for his reluctance to sign onto the Dems' health-care proposals -- including a public option -- with liberal groups running ads in his home state and DC urging him to reconsider.