Vice President Mike Pence acknowledges the crowd after speaking at a campaign rally at Weldall Manufacturing Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020, in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence defended President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court and his response to the coronavirus pandemic at an outdoor rally Tuesday in a conservative Milwaukee suburb before a crowd of supporters, most of whom were not wearing masks or socially distancing even as COVID-19 cases broke records in Wisconsin.

The rally at Weldall Manufacturing in Waukesha came exactly three weeks before the election and as the Senate Judiciary Committee held confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s pick to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

“I’m going to make a prediction,” Pence said. “Judge Amy Coney Barrett will soon be Justice Amy Coney Barrett. We’re going to fill that seat.”

Pence said Democrat Joe Biden would “pack the court” if he is elected president by adding seats to the Supreme Court. Biden has avoided questions for weeks about the idea that’s been pushed by liberals and used by Republicans against him. On Monday, Biden said in Cincinnati that he was “not a fan” of adding seats but did not want to get distracted by the issue.

Pressure on Biden to respond intensified after his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, refused to answer the question during her debate with Pence last week.