Sotomayor's Name Still Turning Up in Senate Races

The nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor continues to resonate in races for the U.S. Senate, four months after she was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The latest example comes from California, where two Republicans running for their party's nomination have split on whether they would have supported Sotomayor.

Carly Fiorina, a former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, said Monday that she probably would have voted for Sotomayor because “she seemed qualified.” A spokesman for Chuck DeVore, a state legislator, said that DeVore would not have because he favors only nominees who are against abortion rights.

One blogger for the San Francisco Chronicle suggested that Fiorina’s statement could be a controversial move among GOP primary voters, regardless of Sotomayor’s qualifications. But if she makes it to the general election against incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer (D), Fiorina would face an electorate with a large Hispanic population that presumably supports Sotomayor, the first Hispanic justice.

Other states where Senate candidates have spoken out about Sotomayor include Connecticut, Florida, and New Hampshire.

Comments

[Nancy felixson]

Everyone knows that what you just said is double speak for someone who opposes a woman's right to choose and that the US Constitution does has privacy right protections.

[Joshua Trevino]

David, this post here is a bit inaccurate. As stated in the AmSpec piece you reference, I specifically said that Assemblyman DeVore's opposition to Justice Sotomayor stems from her "improper understanding of the Constitution." This, rather than a blanket and unreasoning opposition to "abortion rights" per se, is the foundation of his stance on the Justice.

[ken loveless]

Some folks just can't accept the notion that gals are smarter than guys.