Senate to take key vote on Kavanaugh's nomination Friday morning

Susan Collins. — (Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Senate is scheduled to vote at 10:30 a.m. Friday on whether to move Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination forward to a final vote on Saturday, and Republicans sounded either optimistic or slightly nervous they have the 51 votes to do so. Only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), has left open the possibility of voting for Kavanaugh, while three Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) — have not said how they are voting. Flake and Collins appear satisfied with the FBI's report on sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh; Democrats say its scope is too limited to be useful, and Manchin said he will read more of the report before voting on Friday.

If Friday's vote is too close, Saturday's could be postponed. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) will be at his daughter's wedding on Saturday, cutting the GOP's margin to 50-49, with Vice President Mike Pence as the potential tiebreaker.

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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.