Pence Will Not Oversee Barrett SCOTUS Nomination: Politico

Politico's Burgess Everett reporting that Vice-President Mike Pence is not likely to oversee the official nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court on the Senate floor this evening.

• The vice-president is also President of the Senate, a position only usually impactful when there is a 50-50 tie in the Senate, when the VP acts as a tie break.
• Tonight's vote is not expected to need a tie break, with Susan Collins (R-ME) the only Republican senator who has publicly stated they will break rank and vote against Barrett's nomination.
• Pence is campaigning in Minnesota today, and this is given as the reason for his absence (even though his vote was not required, Pence oversaw the nominations of the two previous Trump SCOTUS nominees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, in person).
• However, there have been concerns about Pence potentially attending in person, given that a number of his aides have tested positive for COVID-19 recently. Pence himself has been tested and found negative for the virus.