Brett Kavanaugh is now virtually certain to be confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Almost immediately after Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced Friday afternoon that she would vote to confirm Kavanaugh, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) announced he would as well, making him the only Democrat to defect and back Kavanaugh. Collins and Manchin were the last two undecided senators. Assuming everyone votes the way they have said they're going to, Kavanaugh will be confirmed Saturday on a 51-49 vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is the only Republican opposing Kavanaugh.
In a statement, Manchin said that he has "reservations" about the vote because of Kavanaugh's "temperament" and because of the sexual misconduct allegations against him, which Kavanaugh denies. However, while Manchin said his "heart goes out to anyone who has experienced any type of sexual assault in their life," he believes Kavanaugh is a "qualified jurist." He also told reporters that he does not believe it was Kavanaugh who sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford, as she testified under oath last week, per The Washington Post's Matt Viser.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Manchin is up for re-election this November in a state President Trump won by 42 points in 2016.
-
5 snappily written cartoons about vanishing food stamp benefitsCartoons Artists take on SNAP recipients, Halloween generosity, and more
-
The 5 best political thriller series of the 21st centuryThe Week Recommends Viewers can binge on most anything, including espionage and the formation of parliamentary coalitions
-
Sudan stands on the brink of another national schismThe Explainer With tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, one of Africa’s most severe outbreaks of sectarian violence is poised to take a dramatic turn for the worse
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
