Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinFeinstein 'surprised and taken aback' by suggestion she's not up for Supreme Court fight Grand jury charges no officers in Breonna Taylor death Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court MORE (Ill.) on Wednesday evening called on Republicans to delay a vote on replacing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy until after the fall elections, while acknowledging the fight will energize both parties’ bases.

“I think people will be energized. The polls indicate they are following this very closely and this announcement by Justice Kennedy will pique their interest even more,” Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, told Hill.TV correspondents Molly Hooper and Alison Spann.

Durbin echoed other party leaders in suggesting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellFEC flags McConnell campaign over suspected accounting errors Poll: 59 percent think president elected in November should name next Supreme Court justice Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' MORE (R-Ky.) follow the precedent he set in 2016 when he delayed a Supreme Court nomination vote until after the election. Merrick Garland Merrick Brian GarlandPoll: 59 percent think president elected in November should name next Supreme Court justice Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' Chief justice honors Ginsburg: 'When she spoke, people listened' MORE, former President Obama’s nominee for the court, never got a vote. President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE then got his own nominee, Neil Gorsuch, approved in 2017.

“It all depends on Sen. McConnell,” Durbin said. “If he is consistent, and uses his own rule, we’ll wait four months and have an election and let the American people decide what the majority in Congress will do in the next session,” he said.