Why it matters: While Democrats succeeded in confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to pledge during an interview in Axios to fill other seats if he becomes the majority leader next year. Driving News: Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) Told Axios “he’s talking to a lot of me [Republican] colleagues on how to prevent ”a candidate from refusing to be heard.

The discussions are very preliminary, Axios said, and would only have real weight in the extremely unlikely event that McConnell himself signed. The harsh reality is that Democrats would be deprived of any clear choice to force Biden candidates to vote in a GOP-led Senate, barring a critical mass of Republicans from pressuring McConnell to do so. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) Said he wanted an “improved process,” but acknowledged that “they need to get enough [senators] to agree, “This will be the process.”

Some progressive Democrats have said their party needs to be aggressive. They advocated legislative solutions to what they see as an erosion of institutional rules. Any changes would be long-term with narrow majorities in Congress for each party – including the current 50-50 Senate. What they say: “I’m sure Republicans, if they had a majority, would try to block key appointments,” Kaine told Axios. He also predicted that the opposition would not be limited to candidates for the Supreme Court.

“Oh, that’s so wrong,” Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) said of McConnell’s comments. “I think it’s our responsibility. We swear to do our job … I just hope he does not mean that.”

The other side: Most Republican senators who spoke to Axios either refused to weigh in or supported McConnell’s reluctance to discuss hypothetically.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) dismissed “highly speculative” questions about prospective candidates: “I think the best thing to do is not just make commitments about anything.” “For me, you have to wait and see,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). “You can not predict the future. You are asking something that is a hypothesis, so to speak.”

Other Republicans have gone a step further than McConnell’s non-binding response – arguing that Republicans should have all the power at their disposal.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the GOP “should not confirm a radical left in the Supreme Court,” predicting that a majority of Republicans would have a “moderate effect” on Biden’s candidates. “That’s where we’re going to start,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said of Cruz ‘s comments. “The point is, it’s going to be a bargain.” “It has always happened that the majority decides what comes on the floor.”