WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, who sits on the federal appeals court and would replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, is unlikely to need the support of any Republican to be confirmed, and may not win over any of them. But as she makes the rounds at the Capitol, traversing from one Senate office to the next before her confirmation hearings later this month, Jackson is garnering bipartisan compliments ahead of the confirmation process.
"I want to make this a bipartisan vote," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin said after Breyer announced his retirement. "I think it is not only good for the Supreme Court, it's good for the Senate."
Democrats and the White House are hoping that Jackson's enviable resume, empathetic style and historic potential as the first Black female justice will win at least a few crossover votes. And because her confirmation to replace the liberal-leaning Breyer wouldn't shift the ideological balance of the court, Republicans aren't expending much political energy opposing her.
Durbin and President Joe Biden have been reaching out to some GOP senators personally, promising to answer any questions and give them extended time with the nominee.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has already received three calls from Biden and met Jackson for more than 90 minutes on Tuesday. Collins, one of only three Republicans to vote for Jackson when she was confirmed to the circuit court last year, called the meeting "lengthy and very productive." She signaled that that the nominee is likely to have her vote.
"She takes a very thorough, careful approach in applying the law to the facts of the case, and that is what I want to see in a judge," Collins said.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn praised her experience as a public defender and said she was "charming." North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis noted how prepared she was, a move he said was "wise." Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse shook her hand and congratulated her while the two smiled for cameras.
Republican reaction to Jackson hasn't all been positive. Before Biden named her as the nominee, several Republicans criticized the president's pledge to nominate a Black woman to the post. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley called the pledge "hard woke left." Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said it was "offensive" to have that criteria. Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker likened it to affirmative action.
Asked about Biden's pledge to nominate a Black woman, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell replied: "Honestly, I did not think that was inappropriate."
Hawley, Cornyn and Tillis, all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said they have questions about whether Jackson is guided by any specific judicial philosophy.
Several Democrats who have met with the nominee gushed over Jackson's eight years as a federal judge, her time as a public defender and her ability to connect with others -- a quality they say could help her bring the Supreme Court closer together, as well.
Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said that when she met with Jackson she asked the judge what stood out to her most about Breyer, whom she had clerked for many years ago. She said Jackson replied that it was the justice's ability to reach out to other members of the court.
"Even if she can't convince other people to her way of approaching a case, I think that that willingness to talk, and understanding another perspective, is a very important aspect of the kind of person she is," Hirono said.
Jackson's confirmation hearings begin March 21.