Michael LucianoMay 19th, 2026, 10:27 pm

Seven Senate Democrats crossed the aisle on Tuesday to vote to confirm a judicial nominee who, at her confirmation hearing, refused to say President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

The Senate voted to confirm Sheria Akins Clarke as a judge for the District of South Carolina by a vote of 52-38, with 10 senators not voting.

During a confirmation hearing in March, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) asked Clarke and three other Trump judicial nominees about the 2020 election and the 2021 Capitol riot.

“Ms. Clarke, who won the 2020 election?” Blumenthal asked.

“Under our Constitution, the mechanism for electing a president–,” she responded as Blumenthal interrupted.

“I am amazed, I am just amazed by the insult to this committee of witness after witness seeking to be a federal judge subverting our Constitution and showing how you have no independence, which is essential to a federal judge,” he said.

The senator asked Clarke and the other nominees basic questions such as, “Was the Capitol attacked on January 6th?” And yet, the nominees refused to answer.

Clarke’s response – or lack thereof – was not disqualifying as far as seven Democratic senators were concerned on Tuesday. Those Democrats voting in favor were:

Dick Durbin (IL)
John Fetterman (PA)
Ruben Gallego (AZ)
Maggie Hassan (NH)
Martin Heinrich (NM)
Jack Reed (RI)
Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)

Trump has falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen from him. In numerous confirmation hearings, Democratic senators have asked many of the president’s nominees about the 2020 election and related questions, which the nominees have refused to answer.

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