The Christian Science Monitor

After hitting 'rock bottom' over Kavanaugh, can Senate find a way forward?

At the height of the bitter battle over Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons sat down with his wife for a soul-searching conversation. “Is this really worth our time?” they wondered, as they discussed whether the senator should run again.

The Delawarean is not up for reelection until 2020 – but the job has grown more and more frustrating in a polarized Senate that seems unable to address big issues. And as a member of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Coons had a ringside seat to a Supreme Court confirmation circus that was more vitriolic than any he had ever seen.

The next Senate also won’t include some of Coons’s closest working partners on the GOP side – John McCain of Arizona, who died in August; Bob Corker of Tennessee, who is retiring; and Jeff Flake

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