Democrats Raise $100 Million After Ginsburg’s Death

An image of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is projected onto the New York state civil Supreme Court in Manhattan on Sept. 18, 2020. Andrew Kelly/Reuters

The biggest online fundraising platform for Democrats has raised $100 million since the announcement of the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“Small-dollar donors have now given $100 million on ActBlue since 8 p.m. ET Friday, investing in candidates up and down the ballot and orgs on the front lines of the impending judicial confirmation fight. The grassroots is ready to fight to honor Justice Ginsburg’s legacy,” ActBlue, the fundraising platform, wrote on Twitter.

“The loss of Justice Ginsburg is devastating. In this difficult moment for our country, we remain inspired and in awe of the small-dollar donors who are showing incredible people power, and already fighting like never before in her honor.”

Donors gave a record $6.3 million in the first hour after the announcement of Ginsburg’s passing and $70.6 million on the next day, according to The Hill. The previous records were $4 million in one hour and $42 million in one day.

Ginsburg passed away on Sept. 18 surrounded by her family in her home in Washington. She was considered the leader of the liberal minority on the bench of the Supreme Court.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks during a discussion on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington on Feb. 10, 2020. Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

President Donald Trump has since announced that he will nominate a woman to take the vacant seat on the Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who gets to make the call whether to bring the nomination to the Senate floor, said Trump’s appointee will get a vote.

Democrats vehemently oppose voting on a nominee before the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, in hopes of gaining control of either the White House or the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told his colleagues during a Democratic caucus call on Sept. 19 that retaliation is possible if Republicans fill the seat left vacant by Ginsburg before January.

“Let me be clear: If Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans move forward with this, then nothing is off the table for next year,” Schumer said, according to Politico. “Nothing is off the table.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks at the Back the Thrive Agenda press conference at the Longworth Office Building in Washington on Sept. 10, 2020. Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Green New Deal Network

The New York senator added that “everything Americans value is at stake” and that Democrats should highlight the impact filling the vacancy would have on health care and civil rights, among other issues.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested on Sept. 20 that Democrats will use every possible option to block the confirmation.

“We have our options, we have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now,” she said on ABC’s “This Week.” “But the fact is, we have a big challenge in our country.”

Republicans have a 53–47 majority in the Senate. A pair of senators—Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine)—have said that a vote shouldn’t take place until after the election on Nov. 3. Neither has indicated they would vote no on any nominee put forth before Election Day.