“My liberal friends have been using the idea of ​​having a liberal court for many decades, but it’s not written in the stars,” Utah told reporters after the decision. He called it “appropriate for a nation that has … a court-of-court-right that reflects a center-right view.”

During an impeachment hearing earlier this year, he was voted in to criticize Trump and vote to remove him from office. Some question About where Rome will land on the Supreme Court nominee. And while Romney’s position does not mean that Trump’s yet-to-be-named candidate will definitely confirm the votes, it does mean that McConnell and Trump can move forward without delay.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that he plans to announce his candidacy on Saturday; Amy Connie Barrett and Barbara Lagoa are seen as top contenders.

Senate Republicans on the Judiciary Committee met Tuesday at noon to discuss various circumstances for how quickly they could process the nominee, but no final decision was made. Around the same time as Trump’s tweet, Republicans will not choose Trump until his schedule Decided to wait for the announcement, said Sen. Josh Haley Valle (R-Mo.).

G.O.P. Leaders will still try to fill the vacancy before the election or prepare to wait until the lame-duck session, but the prevailing vote in the party is to move forward as quickly as possible.

“People are very supportive of the idea of ​​moving forward. In terms of timing, it’s still up in the air, “said Senate Majority Whip John Thun (RSD). “Speaking for me personally? Yes. I think it would be a good idea for us to move on [before the election]. But obviously, we have a lot of different members, whose positions can be different. “

Although Trump and some allies in the Senate are pushing for confirmation of the choice, leaders are unconcerned about the timing. Thune said it’s McConnell’s decision. Romney said he had no choice about the timing but no qualifications about taking confirmation before or after the election.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsay Graham (RSC) predicted Tuesday that Trump’s nominee would be confirmed before the election, and when asked about the length of the confirmation hearing, he said “we will process the same as before.” It will confirm the lightning fast by Senate standards and will be exceptionally close to the election.

“I mean he’ll wait until there’s an announcement, and then he’ll make a final decision about the timing,” Howell said.

Other potential swing votes, such as Republican Sense. Corey Gardner of Colorado and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, said Monday evening that they are not opposed to considering a nomination this year. Just sense. Alaska’s Lisa Markowski and Maine’s Susan Collins have said the seat should not be filled near this election, and Romney is unlikely to leave the seat vacant this year without taking that vote.

Romney said he was following the law in his decision to allow Trump’s candidacy to be considered instead of taking a position based on the recent blockade of President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland during the 2011 Trump election. Because the opposition took control of the Senate in 2016, Romney said the Democrats’ arguments that the move was unfair did not emphasize his decision to replace Ginsberg.

Because the president’s party controls the Senate this time around, Romney said it would be fair for the GOP to move forward, given Trump’s nomination in 2020.

“It was not unfair because it was consistent with history. “It was consistent with the example, it was consistent with the constitution,” Romney told reporters. “That Merrick Garland’s decision was unjust, and so it’s made by doing something that doesn’t even make much sense – which tells President Trump you can’t get your nominee – just doesn’t follow.”

Democrats took a different vote. For the second day in a row, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DNY) went on the floor to provoke McConnell and his members. He read Republican quotes from 2016 defending the Garland blockade, throwing it back into the face of the GOP four years later.

“In doing so, they have justified President Obama’s unprecedented blockade of the Supreme Court nominee. No vote during the presidential year because we have to let the people decide, ”Schumer said. “Now: ‘Oops, that doesn’t make sense.’

Marianne Levine contributed to this report.