Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) announced today that he’d vote “no” on Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court nomination — but that he would vote “yes” on cloture, which will help secure an up-or-down vote. Still, he’s the first Democrat to say he’ll oppose Kagan’s nomination. Here’s the full statement:
“As a member of the bipartisan ‘Gang of 14,’ I will follow our agreement that judicial nominees should be filibustered only under extraordinary circumstances. If a cloture vote is held on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, I am prepared to vote for cloture and oppose a filibuster because, in my view, this nominee deserves an up or down vote in the Senate.
“However, I have heard concerns from Nebraskans regarding Ms. Kagan, and her lack of a judicial record makes it difficult for me to discount the concerns raised by Nebraskans, or to reach a level of comfort that these concerns are unfounded. Therefore, I will not vote to confirm Ms. Kagan’s nomination.”
