Among those Democrats bearing the brunt will be Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
All three face difficult races for re-election in November — and they were the only Democrats to vote for Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, upping the pressure on them even higher.
Another senator already facing the onslaught is Doug Jones of Alabama, a rare Southern Democrat who won an improbable special election late last year against scandal-laden Republican Roy Moore.
Before Monday’s announcement, those four were already the targets of at least $1.4 million worth of advertising from the conservative Judicial Crisis Network, an umbrella organization pushing for the confirmation of Trump’s nominee. The ad says, “extremists will lie and attack the nominee. But don’t be fooled.”
Trump’s nominee is “the best of the best,” the narrator continues In the ad that started airing before the announcement. And starting next Monday, another $1 million ad will run in those same states introducing Kavanaugh.
Carrie Severino, chief counsel for the network, told NBC News the organization spent $10 million in advertising in support of Gorsuch and they are prepared to spend “whatever it takes” to ensure that Kavanaugh is confirmed.
“Are they going to align themselves with the far left wing of their party?” Severino asked of the Democrats. “We don’t think that’s going to be popular in their states.”
Donnelly, Heitkamp and Manchin were invited to the White House Monday night for the roll out of the nominee, but all three declined the invitation. Heitkamp and Manchin said they didn’t want their first meeting with the nominee under those circumstances.
“I just got back (to Washington) and I’ve got a bunch of stuff I need to do and it’s not a place where I think you can do any due diligence,” Heitkamp said.
Jones said it’s “sad” that so much money will be spent in his state and others.
“That money could be spent in so many other positive ways other than media advertising to try and sway somebody,” Jones said. “I’m going to exercise my role. I’m going to do my due diligence and I’m going to exercise my judgment independently and do the thing that I think is the right thing and then once I make my decision that’s when I’ll explain it to voters.”
Progressive groups are planning their own effort to defend the Democrats from attacks — and to urge them to vote against Kavanaugh.
Demand Justice, run by former Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer aide Brian Fallon, is working with NARAL Pro-Choice, MoveOn, Indivisible, and other progressive groups. They have pledged at least $5 million to be used, in part, in North Dakota, Indiana and West Virginia.
Marge Baker, executive vice president of People for the American Way, a group helping to organize grassroots protests in states around the country, said, “There’s enormous energy in the progressive community on this — far more than Gorsuch.”
Democrats argue that Trump’s nominee will tilt the court to the right because retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy was considered a swing vote. While he did side with the conservatives in many decisions, he was the deciding justice in many landmark cases, including one that upheld Roe v. Wade as well as a marriage equality case.