(Radio Iowa/KJAN) – Republican Senator Joni Ernst was speaking in Atlantic Friday evening when (KJAN’s Ric Hanson) informed her Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died. Ernst repeated the statement to the crowd and said she was sorry to hear the news.

Ernst was asked what she thought President Trump will do to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court.

Earlier this summer Ernst said if there were to be a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020, the president should nominate someone and the U.S. senate should vote on the nomination. Theresa Greenfield, the Democrat who is running against Ernst this year, says the appointment should wait until the next U.S. Senate and president we’re about to vote for take office.

Greenfield, in a written statement released this weekend, said Iowans are independent thinkers and a delay until 2021 would respect the voices of voters.