As many as 7 Senate Republicans are on the fence about Kavanaugh, report says
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) confidently declared in a speech last Friday that Brett Kavanaugh would be confirmed to the Supreme Court. But after a second sexual misconduct allegation was leveled against the nominee, things are looking a lot less certain.
Fox News reports that at least four Senate Republicans, and reportedly as many as seven, are currently on the fence about confirming Kavanaugh. The four who are definitely in play are Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), but there are reportedly three more Republicans who could be swayed in either direction.
To be confirmed, Kavanaugh will need the approval of 50 senators. There are currently 51 Republicans in the Senate, so just two of them breaking from the ranks would dash his confirmation hopes.
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Now, it all comes down to Thursday, when both Kavanaugh and one of the two women accusing him of sexual misconduct are expected to testify before Congress. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. Multiple Senate Republicans told Fox News that they'd vote against Kavanaugh if they heard "something alarming" during Thursday's testimony.
Meanwhile, some of President Trump's allies are beginning to grow more doubtful about Kavanaugh's chances, with Ed Rollins, co-chairman of the pro-Trump Great America PAC, telling The Daily Beast he's got a "fifty-fifty" shot.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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