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'Defeat Cory Gardner!' fund trends in favor of John Hickenlooper after Colorado Sen supports Trump's SCOTUS pick

In 2016, Senator Gardner had said that the people should have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court Justice, but now he has backtracked

Cory Gardner may well have closed the door on any chance of the US Senate blocking President Donald Trump’s forthcoming Supreme Court nominee. In a statement released on Monday, September 21, Gardner made clear he will not oppose Trump's SCOTUS nomination and added, that he will vote to confirm a “qualified” person to fill the seat held for 27 years by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday, September 18.

Gardner tweeted, "Read my full statement on the Supreme Court vacancy," where he said: “When a President exercises constitutional authority to nominate a judge for the Supreme Court vacancy, the Senate must decide how to best fulfill its constitutional duty of advice and consent. I have and will continue to support judicial nominees who will protect our Constitution, not legislate from the bench, and uphold the law. Should a qualified nominee who meets this criteria be put forward, I will vote to confirm."

Trump has vowed to name his nominee to fill in the seat. Fifty-one senators would have to reject a nomination to actually stop it and there are only 47 Democrats in the Senate. Till now, just two Republicans Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins have spoken against voting on a new justice before Inauguration Day. National political observers see a low likelihood that two more senators will join Murkowski and Collins.

Gardner’s election opponent, the Democrat and former Governor John Hickenlooper, criticized Gardner’s stand in the statement and he responded to it, and said, “Hours after Donald Trump pressured him to get in line, Cory Gardner dutifully obeyed. In 2016, Senator Gardner set a clear standard that the people should have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court Justice — but now he broke it to stand with the president at the expense of Colorado, as he’s done 100% of the time.”

As soon as Gardner's statement came to light, Internet vowed to "Defeat him" and soon a fundraiser titled, "Defeat Cory Gardner" started. The donation amount of the fundraiser is supposed to go in favor of Hickenlooper. The page also reads, "He (Gardner) is committing to vote & potentially confirm a Trump nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsberg (sic). Let's show him RIGHT NOW what a terrible decision that is by donating to his Democratic opponent, John Hickenlooper. 100% of donations on this page go to John Hickenlooper," and another one said, "Cory Gardner confirms he will vote to confirm a nominee this year: “Should a qualified nominee who meets this criterion be put forward, I will vote to confirm.” Send a big message by donating to his opponent."

Soon, the fundraiser page made it's way to social media, US Representative, David Cicilline shared the link and wrote, "Cory Gardner just said he’s going to help Mitch McConnell jam through Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. The good news is John @Hickenlooper will give Colorado the leadership it needs from a US Senator. Chip in and let’s help him win this thing," while another one said, "Colorado deserves a Senator who will do what's best for Colorado and not what's best for Mitch McConnell. John @Hickenlooper is the bold voice Coloradans deserve in the Senate. Let’s help him get there."

While one angry Netizen tweeted, "Nyone surprised @SenCoryGardner has shown himself to be a pathetic liar who cares more about defending the occupant in the White House than he does about defending Democracy. I am not. Colorado, time to make @Hickenlooper your next Senator." And more and more people started asking everyone to support Hickenlooper as one said, "Cory Gardner just said he'll vote to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg's SCOTUS seat prior to the election. FLOOD his phones: (202) 224-5941. Support his opponent: @Hickenlooper."