Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) traded barbs on Twitter Thursday after Baldwin declared her intention to vote against Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court.
Walker derided Baldwin as “out of the mainstream” and compared Gorsuch’s experience to that of Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s pick for the Supreme Court who Republicans refused to consider for almost a year.
In reply, Baldwin told Walker that his relevance to the debate over whether to confirm Gorsuch ended with his “short-lived” 2016 campaign for president and suggested he focus instead on fixing Wisconsin’s infrastructure.
“Maybe that plays well in Madison but the rest of the state would like a Senator,” Walker responded, referring to the state capital which leans considerably more liberal than the rest of the state.
TPM was unable to reach Walker’s office by phone Thursday to ask what he meant by the Madison remark.
Sen. Baldwin is out of the mainstream. Refuses to meet with judge whose experience is nearly identical to Judge Garland. pic.twitter.com/ufmLyrGo3J
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) February 2, 2017
Your opportunity to weigh in on Gorsuch ended with your short-lived Pres campaign. Focus on fixing WI’s roads and bridges. #priorities https://t.co/BYCTa1Tyds
— Tammy Baldwin (@tammybaldwin) February 2, 2017
.@TammyBaldwin Maybe that plays well in Madison but the rest of the state would like a Senator. https://t.co/UNnBoNToVR
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) February 2, 2017
Baldwin said that she will oppose Gorsuch’s nomination in an interview earlier Thursday with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“President Trump and his nominee need to earn 60 votes in the Senate,” she said. “I will not be one of them.”
State Republican Party spokesman Alec Zimmerman also condemned Baldwin’s opposition, saying in a statement obtained by the Capital Times that she “has become an elite liberal insider who is set on playing political games and protecting the Washington status quo at all costs.”
Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Baldwin refused to meet with Gorsuch. We regret the error.
