Eliana Willis

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As Democrats and Republicans braced for a supreme court nomination fight that has upended the November presidential election, Democratic donors smashed fundraising records, funneling more than $90m to candidates and progressive groups after the death on Friday of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.As Senate Republicans prepared to push through Ginsburg’s replacement, politicians on both sides of the divide, from the presidential candidates to senators running for re-election, House candidates and more, used the situation to appeal to supporters for funds.One Republican senator, Joni Ernst of Iowa, apologised for a fundraising email that was sent out shortly after Ginsburg’s death was announced.On the other side of the aisle, the online fundraising organization ActBlue said grassroots donors gave $91.4m to Democratic candidates and causes in 28 hours after 8pm on Friday, around the time of the news of Ginsburg’s death.That figure, coming from 1.5 million donations, broke records for dollars raised in one day and dollars raised in one hour, said Erin Hill, the non-profit’s executive director.Donors gave $70.6m on Saturday alone, and $6.3m in one hour on Friday, Hill said, beating previous records of $41.6m in one day and $4.3m in one hour.If Donald Trump is able to install a conservative replacement for the liberal Ginsburg, the move would cement a 6-3 conservative majority on the court. Democrats will seek to defeat the nomination, over which two Republican senators have already said no vote should be held until after the election.Much of the Democratic money will be poured into key Senate races, as the party seeks to retake the chamber, and also to pressure vulnerable Republican incumbents into opposing the move to install a new justice before the election.“BREAKING: the future of the supreme court is on the line,” said a fundraising email from Republican senator Ernst’s Iowa campaign, shortly after the justice’s death was announced. Ernst is in a close race.“Our conservative values and constitutional rights are now on the line,” the email said. “The next supreme court nominee will shape major decisions for decades to come.”Ernst later issued an apology.“This email never should have gone out,” she said in a statement. “Though I never saw it, it was sent out under my name and I take responsibility for it. Tonight, my prayers are with the family of Justice Ginsburg.”On Saturday, Trump’s campaign also texted out a fundraising solicitation.“President Trump will fill the supreme court vacancy with a conservative justice,” the message read. “Make America Great Again!”The Biden campaign also appealed for funds.One group of Democratic strategists is raising money through an effort called “Get Mitch or Die Trying”, named for Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, the man who will steer the nomination process.The effort, which shares donations among Democratic Senate contenders, reported that within hours of Ginsburg’s death it more than doubled what it had previously raised.“In tribute to the extraordinary life of Justice Ginsberg, I’m matching donations to this fund up to $10,000 tonight,” tweeted Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff.Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii included a link to the fundraising effort in a tweet: “Don’t pick your favorite candidate or the one you’ve heard of. Give here. I repeat, this money goes directly to the most competitive races, not just the most famous candidates.”An ActBlue Senate-focused Democratic fundraising push specifically mentioned Ginsburg’s legacy.“In this moment it is vital to give to Senate candidates,” read a fundraising page called “Protect RBG’s Legacy”.“Time to apply maximum pressure so that they do the right thing and refuse to vote to confirm before the 2020 election.”A representative for ActBlue did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for WinRed, Republican’s ActBlue counterpart, also did not respond. More

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Climate countdown

Climate takeover: meet the first-time voters guest editing the Guardian US

‘We want to highlight environmental justice during this election season.’
Composite: Courtesy climate editors

Seven Generation Z climate activists from across the United States come together to curate a special edition of the Guardian US. Read their section here
by Guardian guest editors

Main image:
‘We want to highlight environmental justice during this election season.’
Composite: Courtesy climate editors

Generation Z didn’t cause the climate crisis, but we’re paying for it. The damage caused by global heating is already doing untold damage to the entire planet, disproportionately hurting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color). For our generation, the toll isn’t just physical, but mental: solastalgia, the stress caused by environmental changes to one’s home, is on the rise.
We are seven first-time voters from diverse backgrounds across the United States who have come together to curate a special climate edition of the Guardian. We want to bring attention to the physical and mental burdens that our generation is saddled with due to the negligence of past generations. We want to highlight environmental justice during this election season. And we will be keeping environmental issues in mind when we all vote. – Alice Shinn
Alex Perry, 18Atlanta, GeorgiaFreshman at Northwestern University
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My Chinese Singaporean and African American heritage inspired me to constantly consider the global implications of local actions. I’m double majoring in journalism and international affairs, with a minor in economics. Post-college, I’m interested in writing about international politics with the goal of motivating others to be aware global citizens.
Why I’ll be thinking about the climate crisis when I vote in NovemberI believe the climate crisis is the link that connects all countries. Setting our differences aside, we collectively exist in a bubble with finite resources, meaning that our actions at home have global implications. When I vote in November, I’ll support a candidate who forwards policies that mitigate climate change, making our home a safer and sustainable place to live.
Twitter: @WhoIsAlexPerry Instagram: @alex.perr.y
Cora Dow, 18Sitka, AlaskaFreshman at Bowdoin College
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I’m never not thinking about the climate crisis. It’s something that guides the decisions I make, from whether I take reusable silverware with me, to which classes I take in college. I discuss it with friends, advocate for its solutions at work, read about it in my free time. I’m interested in environmental studies and history. In the future, I hope to move back to Sitka and continue advocating for the rainforest I grew up in.
Why I’ll be thinking about the climate crisis when I vote in NovemberThis November, I want candidates who live this issue as much as so many young people have been forced to. I don’t want the responsibility of fixing the climate crisis after it’s already too late. I don’t want sympathy from older generations, and I don’t want to be told again “I have so much hope for today’s youth.” I just want someone who hasn’t given up yet, who is willing to recognize the problem and take responsibility – and now I finally have a chance to vote.
Instagram: @ak_c.d
Jessica Díaz, 21Houston, TexasSenior at Michigan State University
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As a descendent of P’urhépecha people, I have seen the strong connections between cultural identity and the environment. I advocate for communities on the frontlines of climate change, such as in Houston, which is in the heart of the petrochemical industry. I’m majoring in fisheries and wildlife, and in the future want to support community initiatives to restore damaged ecosystems and correct environmental injustices.
Why I’ll be thinking about the climate crisis when I vote in NovemberOur past leaders failed to be proactive when it came to the climate crisis, instead, they loosened environmental restrictions and allowed for BIPOC communities, like my own, to be unequally burdened with toxic air and water. I am voting with the climate crisis as my top issue because we can no longer afford a president and leaders who don’t believe that all people, regardless of their identities, deserve clean air, clean water, good jobs, healthy food, and a livable future.
Twitter: @buenoss_diazzInstagram: @buenoss_diazz
Devin Mullins, 19Boone, North CarolinaJunior at Appalachian State University
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I credit my passion for climate advocacy to attending a university with a reputation for sustainability. At school, I study political science and sustainable development, while staying actively involved in politics and advocacy. After college,I will be seeking an MPP or JD program that will prepare me to work on economic and environmental public policy that creates a more just and sustainable society for all.
Why I’ll be thinking about the climate crisis when I vote in NovemberI’ll be thinking about the climate crisis when I vote in November because I have no other choice. Climate change is the most existential threat to a healthy and prosperous future for myself, my peers
and the family I’d someday like to have. There are leaders in or running for office who are committed to that future, but they need our votes and our voices to be successful. Our future is on the ballot.
Instagram: @mullins_dt
Sofia Romero Campbell, 21Denver, ColoradoSenior at Smith College
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I’m a senior at Smith College studying government and Latin American studies with a concentration in sustainable food. After graduation, I plan on pursuing a career in environmental policy.
Why I’ll be thinking about the climate crisis when I vote in NovemberMy generation is hungry for change and when I vote for the first time in the 2020 presidential election I’ll be thinking about the climate crisis because it illustrates the structural inequities within our government. This is a pivotal moment in history and by prioritizing environmental issues at the ballot box we can address a plethora of other pressing social, political, and economic struggles. Our future wellbeing depends on it and I can’t think of a better framework to enact the most meaningful and lasting change.
Instagram: @goodmojo99
Alice Shinn, 20Claremont, CaliforniaJunior at Pomona College
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I was born in Tokyo and raised in New York City. I am double majoring in english and environmental analysis, and have no idea what I want to do after graduating. But I plan to further pursue my interests in writing and reading creative non-fiction, and making sustainability not just a buzzword but something that is accessible to all.
Why I’ll be thinking about the climate crisis when I vote in NovemberClimate change is the worst problem facing the world. Not racism and police brutality, the wealth gap or late-stage capitalism (although all exacerbate the effects of climate change). The climate crisis impacts all industries, all lifestyles and has a profound mental impact. Encouragingly, youths have been radicalized after George Floyd’s murder, but now we must ask ourselves: which candidate will respect and comply with climate accords? Who will crack the door open for decades of work by activists and scientists? We must – reluctantly or enthusiastically – vote for the candidate who is willing to even acknowledge the climate crisis.
Instagram: @aliceshinn
Allyson Smith, 19Memphis, TennesseeSophomore at Howard University
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I am an activist, poet, all-around creative and political science major. I am heavily involved with politics and am a firm believer in youth political participation. I say “no” to the status quo and use my voice as a stepping stone to an equal society that reflects the people’s interest.
Why I’ll be thinking about the climate crisis when I vote in NovemberI will be thinking about the climate crisis when I vote in November because I look at all the people in my hometown who are in proximity to chemical plants and not heard due to the greed of capitalism. I think about how the sole resources of water worldwide are drying up and people are severely dehydrated due to this. This is an intersectional issue, this is racial justice. I have no other option than to think about the climate crisis because my life and wellbeing are at stake.
Twitter: @senpaiversesInstagram: @allyn.smith

Photograph by Sabrina Lucas

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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden makes a plea to Senate Republicans, asking them to ‘follow their conscience’ and defy president Donald Trump’s push to name his nominee for the supreme court ahead of November’s election. Trump says he plans to nominate a women for the seat as soon as possible, after Ruth Bader Ginsburg died aged 87 six weeks out from the US election. ‘I appeal to those few Senate Republicans, that handful who really will decide what happens. Please follow your conscience,’ Biden says. ‘Don’t vote to confirm anyone nominated under the circumstances President Trump and Senator McConnell have created. Don’t go there. Uphold your constitutional duty, your conscience’
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Alaska Republican senator Lisa Murkowski said on Sunday she would not support efforts to confirm Donald Trump’s third supreme court pick before the presidential election on 3 November. The move came a day after Susan Collins of Maine, another Republican moderate, took the same position.Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell can now afford to lose only one more senator if he is to achieve his aim of tilting the court firmly to the right for a generation or more.Thanks to reforms initiated by Democrats in 2013 but completed by Republicans in 2017, a simple Senate majority is required to confirm a supreme court justice.Murkowski and Collins’ statements mean that if no Democrats or independents come over to the Republican side, McConnell can count on a win by 51 votes to 49. He could afford to lose one more senator, as Vice-President Mike Pence would break any tie.The Senate majority leader is looking to hold a vote before election day – or even in the lame duck period after the election and before the next presidential inauguration, on 20 January, even if Democrats take the White House and the Senate.A seat on the nine-member court fell open with the death on Friday night of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, of pancreatic cancer and at the age of 87.We need to begin thinking about the credibility and integrity of our institutionsLisa Murkowski – in 2018Trump has already named Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the court, but they were conservatives who replaced conservatives. A rightwing replacement for Ginsburg, a heroine to liberals, would weight the court 6-3 in favour of conservatives.Ginsburg’s family said the justice had wished not to be replaced before the election, which is less than 50 days away and for which some states have begun early voting.McConnell immediately disregarded that wish, vowing to advance a Trump nominee.His opponents immediately cried foul, over McConnell’s refusal in in 2016 to sanction even a hearing for Merrick Garland, Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Antonin Scalia, who died in February that year. McConnell argued then that a vacancy should not be filled in the final year of a presidency.On Saturday, Collins said she did not support moves to vote on any nominee before an election. That evening, Trump told a rally in North Carolina he would nominate a woman, promising to reveal the name in the coming days.Murkowski had already indicated her opposition to a vote so close to the election. In a statement on Sunday, she made it official.“For weeks,” she said, “I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential supreme court vacancy this close to the election. Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed.“I did not support taking up a nomination eight months before the 2016 election to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Scalia. We are now even closer to the 2020 election – less than two months out – and I believe the same standard must apply.”Republicans insist the Garland precedent does not apply, because their party holds both the Senate and the White House. But there is no constitutional provision which says a president and Senate of different parties cannot confirm a justice. Clarence Thomas, a staunch conservative on the current court, was the last justice confirmed by a Senate held by the party opposing the president.If the Democratic candidate Mark Kelly wins a special election in Arizona, he could be seated by 30 November, producing a tie if a vote has not already been held.More immediately, Republicans either vulnerable to re-election defeat, like Collins, or less likely to toe the Trumpist line than most, like Murkowksi, are being watched closely.Cory Gardner of Colorado is struggling in his re-election race, while Thom Tillis is in a tight fight in North Carolina.Lamar Alexander of Tennessee is both relatively collegially minded and retiring, so relatively free of pressure.Mitt Romney of Utah is a former presidential candidate with one eye on his place in history, the son of a governor who cited his father, his conscience and fidelity to the constitution when he became the sole Republican to vote for Trump’s impeachment. More

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If he wins a US Senate seat in Arizona, the former astronaut Mark Kelly could take office as early as 30 November, an outcome which might jeopardize the launch of Donald Trump’s third supreme court nominee. The Democratic candidate has maintained a polling lead over the Republican Martha McSally, who was appointed to the seat held by John McCain, who died in 2018. Because the contest is a special election to finish McCain’s term, the winner could be sworn in as soon as the results are certified. Other winners in November’s contest, in which Democrats hope to retake the Senate, will not take office until January. Trump has pledged to nominate a replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has vowed that the nominee “will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate”.If Kelly wins, when he takes office could be crucial in deciding the ensuing nomination fight. Republicans currently hold the chamber by 53 seats to 47. The prospect of falling to 52 could prompt McConnell to speed up the nomination process. With McSally in the Senate, four defections would defeat a nomination. A tie vote could be broken by Vice-President Mike Pence. Within hours of the announcement of Ginsberg’s death, McSally declared that “this US Senate should vote on President Trump’s next nominee for the US supreme court”. She has not elaborated on whether the vote should come before or after the election. But she highlighted the renewed stakes of her race in a fundraising pitch on Saturday. “If Mark Kelly comes out on top, HE could block President Trump’s supreme court Nominee from being confirmed,” McSally wrote. In the 2018 midterms, Democrats found success in Arizona, long dominated by the GOP, by appealing to Republicans and independents disaffected with Trump. The supreme court vacancy could boost McSally by keeping those voters in her camp. Kelly said late on Saturday: “The people elected to the presidency and Senate in November should fill this vacancy. When it comes to making a lifetime appointment to the supreme court, Washington shouldn’t rush that process for political purposes.” Arizona law requires election results to be certified on the fourth Monday after the election, which falls this year on 30 November. The certification could be delayed up to three days if the state has not received election results from any of its 15 counties. Mary O’Grady, a Democratic lawyer, said the deadlines are firm. “I don’t see ambiguity here,” said O’Grady, Arizona’s solicitor general under two Democratic attorneys general, adding that state law allows recounts and election challenges only under very limited circumstances. Former Senate historian Don Ritchie told the Arizona Republic, which first reported on the prospect for Kelly taking office early a day before Ginsburg’s death: “Usually, the secretary of the Senate’s office goes out of its way to accommodate the new senators coming in.“The old senator is out of their office there. I mean, they actually literally put a lock on the door so their staff can’t go in.” More