Democrats running for the Senate this fall are taking markedly different approaches to the question of expanding the Supreme Court — some have openly entertained the idea, while others have left voters guessing, according to a survey published by The Federalist.
The outlet assembled a guide assessing where every major Democratic Senate candidate stands on court-packing, reporting that while some have already voiced openness to the idea, others “have chosen to hide their position from voters.” The Federalist said it requested comment from multiple candidates on whether they still support adding justices and did not receive answers from several of them.
The piece frames the broader shift bluntly: calling to add seats to the high court for partisan advantage was once treated as a fringe position, and The Federalist argues it has since moved into the Democratic mainstream, with officials from congressional leadership to potential 2028 presidential contenders signaling support.
Ossoff: ‘I Don’t Rule Out Any Judicial Reform’
Perhaps the most closely watched case is Georgia’s Jon Ossoff. When he first ran for the Senate in 2020 against then-Republican Sen. David Perdue, Ossoff positioned himself as skeptical of court-packing, telling Politico at the time that Democrats shouldn’t expand the court “just because a justice may be confirmed with whom we disagree on policy,” according to The Federalist’s account.
At a recent debate against Republican challenger Mike Collins, Ossoff was asked directly whether he would support adding justices to change the court’s ideological balance if Democrats win control of Congress and the White House. He declined to rule it out, saying, “I don’t rule out any judicial reform, but I think we have to take the long view whenever we consider anything like that.” He went on to call for a binding code of ethics for the justices, arguing the public is “rightly offended” by reports of justices accepting lavish gifts from people with business before the court.
Ossoff has also taken aim at the court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, calling it at a recent rally the “most destructive Supreme Court decision in modern American history,” and criticized this year’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling on race-based redistricting, which he described as part of an “ongoing, multi-year attack” on civil rights-era achievements.
Maine’s Jackson Says He’s ‘Not Against’ Adding Justices
Maine’s Troy Jackson has been the least guarded of the group. During a debate against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Jackson endorsed ethics reform and term limits before saying outright, “I’m not against putting more people on the [Supreme Court] because this court obviously is not working.” He added that the court is “working at the behest of Donald Trump and the billionaire class” and argued something meaningful must be done to restore public confidence.
According to The Federalist, Jackson had previously accused “many of” the justices of having “no ethics” and of “lying to Congress” about the fate of Roe v. Wade, and had signaled openness to restructuring what he called a “rogue court.”
Peltola Once Backed Expansion Bill
In Alaska, Mary Peltola was on record supporting court expansion years ago. During her 2022 House campaign, she told the Anchorage Daily News she would back a congressional bill to “expand the size of the Supreme Court,” though she did not give a reason at the time, per The Federalist. The outlet said Peltola did not respond to a request for comment on whether she still holds that view.
Peltola has repeatedly criticized the court over its 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, saying afterward that “those who try to take away our rights always underestimate our strength.” She is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in a state that uses ranked-choice voting.
Others Back Term Limits and Ethics Rules Without Addressing Expansion
Several candidates have campaigned on structural changes to the court short of adding seats. Florida’s Angie Nixon lists on her campaign website support for “term limits and ethics reform for the Supreme Court, including binding ethics rules for all federal judges,” and backs overturning Citizens United. The Federalist said Nixon did not respond when asked whether she supports increasing the number of justices. Nixon, who is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, recently said Moody should be jailed and later doubled down on that call, according to the outlet.
Iowa’s Josh Turek, described in the piece as a self-styled moderate, voices support on his site for term limits and enforcing ethics standards on the justices. He did not respond to The Federalist’s inquiry on expansion. Turek has criticized both Citizens United and the Callais redistricting decision, calling the latter “an attack on voting rights” that “sets a dangerous precedent for politicians to abuse redistricting powers to rig the game in their favor.” He faces Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson for the seat held by outgoing GOP Sen. Joni Ernst.
Kansas Democrat Adam Hamilton, running in a red state against incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, backs term and age limits for justices and accepted an endorsement from the Democratic-aligned group End Citizens United. He also did not respond to questions about adding seats.
Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, who faces Republican Mike Rogers, endorses on his campaign site “ending the [Supreme Court’s] life-time appointments, imposing limited terms, and allowing the same number of appointments for each presidential term,” describing the court as a “major impediment to democracy.” The Federalist reports he appeared to signal support for increasing the number of justices last year.
The survey lands as voters head to the polls for this year’s midterms, with control of the Senate in play. For Democrats, the distinction matters: candidates in competitive states have largely gravitated toward the more broadly popular language of ethics rules and term limits, while the question of whether they would actually vote to add seats — and when — remains unanswered in several races.
Source: thefederalist.com — https://thefederalist.com/2026/10/22/heres-where-every-major-democrat-senate-candidate-stands-on-packing-scotus/