All eyes are on these 6 senators in Kavanaugh's confirmation vote

Four senators who might vote against Brett Kavanaugh

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 28 September 2018

There were only a handful of senators publicly undecided on Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination before Kavanaugh and a woman who accuses him of attempted rape in high school, Christine Blasey Ford, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. The committee will vote Friday morning on whether to advance Kavanaugh's nomination, with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) the only potential wild card. Even if the committee votes no, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is expected to bring Kavanaugh's nomination up for a final confirmation vote before the full Senate as early as Tuesday.

One of the potential swing votes, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), announced after Thursday's hearing that he will vote for Kavanaugh, giving the nomination a boost.

But Flake said he's still undecided, and he met privately with three other up-in-the-air votes — Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — Thursday night, before Senate Republicans gathered to discuss the nomination. Collins, Murkowski, Manchin, and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) are expected to vote in a bloc, Politico reports, though it's unclear if they would all vote for or against Kavanaugh. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) is also seen as a potential vote for Kavanaugh. She, Manchin, and Donnelly are all up for re-election this year in red states.

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Conversely, three Republican governors in blue states — Maryland's Larry Hogan, Charlie Baker in Massachusetts, and Vermont's Phil Scott — joined Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) on Thursday in opposing a Senate vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation without an independent FBI investigation of the allegations.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.