Pretty much this. They're gonna have to sell everybody on "sure, they're not as seasoned as most justices, but..." Folks need to remember Thomas was just 43 at confirmation, Roberts was 50, Gorsuch was 49, and Barrett 48. It needs to be somebody 50 or under, period.
-First thing is to of course to hope that Alito and/or Thomas is removed for cause
-Second thing is to hope that Alito and/or Thomas die. Not out of the question since they'll be 78 and 80, respectively, at the end of her first term.
-Third, pay attention to Sotamayor's age and health. she'd be an 'older' 74 with her pre-existing conditions.
-Fourth, Senate will be close for 2023-2025. But 2025-2027 is arguably more in favor of Democrats. But we know about first-term mid-term votes historically for the party out of the Oval. No way GOP lets Harris nominate somebody in the final year of her year in office. So they need to figure out the Sotamayor thing by end of first two years. And then it's likely that if Thomas or Alito vacates their seat, they'd probably play ball and allow a new nomination. By the end of her second term, no way Thomas AND Alito are both still up there so you could go from 6-3 MAGA to 5-4 Democratic nominees with a newbie in Sonya's seat. But that's a long ways to go.