Senate candidates weigh in on President Trump's Supreme Court nomination

Roger Marshall (R) and Barbara Bollier (D) are running for U.S. Senate.

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) -- One of the big races in Kansas this election year is the race for the open U.S. Senate seat. To keep voters informed, we have asked Senate candidates Barbara Bollier and Roger Marshall questions on issues important to Kansans.

Thursday, the candidates answered questions regarding President Trump's controversial U.S. Supreme Court nomination. Amy Coney Barrett, the president's nominee, was in the hot seat the last four days, answering questions from lawmakers in Washington D.C.

Barrett's nomination to the nation's highest court has drawn a lot of attention because it's happening so close to the election. In 2016, republicans refused to vote on then President Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland for that same reason. Democrats now say the same rules should apply and Senate candidate Barbara Bollier agrees.

But republicans, along with candidate Roger Marshall, say the nomination process should continue. Marshall said Kansans elected republicans to the U.S. Senate for a time like this.

Read the candidates full answers on Amy Coney Barrett's nomination below.

Barbara Bollier:

"Here's what I know about the Supreme Court, first it's the third branch of our government and it absolutely should not be politicized. Next, Supreme Court nominations and appointments are for a lifetime and they should not be rushed. What I know about our current Senators, they asked four years ago and were very clear that we should wait; and we waiting months and months to put the last Supreme Court Justice in place back then. They should follow what they said, keep their word and do the same thing. We're already in the middle of an election right now and we should be taking our time because these are lifetime appointments."

Roger Marshall:

"This is why many many Kansans voted for a republican majority in the Senate, for such a time as this. History and President are all on our side. 17 times before in American history during a presidential election year we've had a similar situation where the Senate majority and the President are of the same party and I think that many Kansans want us to move forward with the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett."

The Senate must have 51 'yes' votes in order to confirm Barrett to the court. If a 50/50 tie occurs, Vice President Mike Pence can break the tie. According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Court nomination process has previously taken about 70 days.

Barrett was nominated on September 26, 2020; 19 days ago, at the time of publishing. We are currently 19 days away from the November 3 election.