Five Senate liberals who might run against Donald Trump in 2020 have seized just about every opportunity to stick it to the president since he took office — voting overwhelmingly to thwart his nominees for administration jobs.

A POLITICO analysis of every confirmation vote cast found Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey have distinguished themselves as the stiffest opponents of Trump’s picks for the executive branch and federal judiciary.


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Booker Mattis , Defense Kelly , DHS Pompeo , CIA Haley , UN Amb. Chao , Transportation Tillerson , State DeVos , Education Sessions , Justice Price , HHS Mnuchin , Treasury Shulkin , VA McMahon , SBA Mulvaney , OMB Pruitt , EPA Ross , Commerce Zinke , Interior Carson , HUD Perry , Energy Verma , CMS Coats , DNI McMaster , Army Breyer/Reeves , Judiciary Friedman , State Duke , DHS Gorsuch , Judiciary Perdue , Agriculture Rosenstein , Justice Acosta , Labor Clayton , SEC Wilson , Defense Gottlieb , FDA Lighthizer , USTR Rosen , Transportation Brand , Justice Branstad , State Sullivan , State Thapar , Judiciary Elwood , CIA Brown , State Rapuano , Defense Long , FEMA Mandelker , Treasury Billingslea , Treasury Svinicki , NRC Rao , OIRA Nye , Judiciary Hagerty , State Shanahan , Defense Bush , Judiciary Bernhardt , Interior Wray , FBI Newsom , Judiciary Kaplan , NLRB Brouillette , Energy Kelly , Judiciary Hassett , CEA Patenaude , HUD Francisco , Justice Emanuel , NLRB Tarbert , Treasury Delrahim , Justice Erickson , Judiciary Pai , FCC Hargan , HHS Quarles , Fed Cissna , DHS Gingrich , State Trachtenberg , Defense Palk , Judiciary McFadden , Judiciary Coney Barrett , Judiciary Larsen , Judiciary Eid , Judiciary Bibas , Judiciary Gibson , Defense Engel , Justice Robb , NLRB Wehrum , EPA Kan , Transportation Bradbury , Transportation Esper , Army Zatezalo , Labor Otting , OCC Coggins , Judiciary Friedrich , Judiciary Katsas , Judiciary Nielsen , DHS Balash , Interior Grasz , Judiciary Willett , Judiciary Ho , Judiciary Compton , HUD West , Defense Newstead , State Rood , Defense Campbell , Judiciary Parker , Judiciary Brown , Judiciary Counts , Judiciary Powell , Fed Azar , HHS Brownback , State James , Army Stras , Judiciary Iancu , Commerce Branch , Judiciary Vought , OMB Quattlebaum , Judiciary Scholer , Judiciary Self , Judiciary Doughty , Judiciary McAleenan , DHS

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Defense Palk ,

Judiciary McFadden ,

Judiciary Coney Barrett ,

Judiciary Larsen ,

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Defense Engel ,

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DHS Gillibrand Warren Sanders Harris Booker

As Trump looks to restock his Cabinet in the coming weeks, this “hell-no” caucus is only likely to build on its record of rejection. The Democratic base is in no mood for conciliation toward Trump, and any support for his nominees may come back to bite in the 2020 primaries.

Since POLITICO first tallied the group’s hard-line resistance in May of last year, the senators have shown little sign of warming to Trump’s personnel. At that time, Gillibrand provided only three “yes” votes in 37 opportunities. Gillibrand now shares the lead among the minority’s naysayers; she and Warren have each cast 14 “yes” votes out of 112 total roll-call votes on nominees — voting for roughly 13 percent of Trump’s nominees.

Booker followed closely behind with 18 “yes” votes apiece, or only 16 percent of Trump’s nominees, with Sanders notching 20 “yes” votes, or 18 percent. Harris registered 23 “yes” votes, in favor of 21 percent of Trump’s appointments.

Among 19 confirmation votes that split the senators, several could reappear as fodder on a presidential primary debate stage as candidates look to draw contrasts with each other.

For instance, Sanders was the only one of the five to support current White House chief of staff John Kelly to lead the Department of Homeland Security last year, as well as Rod Rosenstein to be deputy attorney general.


Booker cast the sole “yes” vote within the group for Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s choice for U.S. trade representative. FBI Director Christopher Wray drew support from Booker, Harris and Sanders but not Gillibrand and Warren.

The senators make no apologies for their hostility toward many of Trump’s nominees.

“Sen. Gillibrand evaluates each nominee based on their record and qualifications,” spokeswoman Whitney Brennan said. “If she doesn’t think they are qualified for the job, she votes against them. If she thinks they are worthy of the job and will serve New Yorkers well, she will vote for them.” Senate Republicans have fumed since Inauguration Day over what they view as a systematic slowdown of confirmations by the Democratic Caucus, particularly when it comes to judicial picks.

“There’s no question: This administration, when it comes to nominations, has been treated much more harshly than any administration in anybody’s memory,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters last month.

Still, many other Democrats are providing some support for Trump’s nominees.

On 38 of the Senate’s 112 confirmation votes, or more than one-third, a majority of the five most prominent liberal presidential contenders voted “no,” while most others in the minority voted “yes.” Among the Trump nominees the Senate’s liberal quintet voted for, against the majority of their colleagues, were Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and White House Council of Economic Advisers chief Kevin Hassett, a conservative well-respected by scholars on the left.

POLITICO’s previous analysis of confirmation votes found Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), another potential 2020 presidential hopeful, in the sixth spot. But in the intervening months, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has surpassed him in “no” votes.

The intensity of these Democrats’ opposition to Trump’s nominees is heartening to activists on the left who have long prodded the party to fight the president’s agenda on all fronts. Warren took a fresh step in that direction on Thursday by coming out against current CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s nomination to lead the State Department.

“Elections are fundamentally about choices — and whether you’re running for president or trying to increase the number of seats you’ve got in the next Congress, if you present a stark choice between your vision of what America should be and what the other side wants, you will give voters options,” Ezra Levin, co-founder of the liberal group Indivisible, said in an interview.

Levin pointed to McConnell’s historic blockade of Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, as setting the tone for this year’s emboldened Democratic pushback on confirmations.

“The idea that Democrats and progressives should just go along to get along in the Senate is really not what voters want,” Levin said. “And it certainly is not what the base wants.”

CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, senators' votes on FEMA Administrator Brock Long were initially incorrect.