Senate votes 51-49 to advance Kavanaugh to final Saturday vote

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 5 October 2018

The Senate voted Friday to advance Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination to a final vote on Saturday, scraping by with a 51-49 vote.

The advancement came after senators spent a day taking turns with an FBI report regarding sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, which Democrats said was too limited in scope and Republicans said provided sufficient closure on the matter.

Now, Republicans are hoping for support from three undecided senators: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) — who voted "yes" on Friday — and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who voted "no." Only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), who voted "yes" on Friday, has said he is considering voting to confirm Kavanaugh. The final confirmation vote will take place Saturday by around 5 p.m.

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.