If there was any doubt left that Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s impassioned testimony on Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee had convinced skeptical moderates to back his nomination, it has just been eliminated.
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who was among the first Republicans to call for the Judiciary Committee to delay its initial recommendation vote on Kavanaugh after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford first came forward with her allegations, said Friday morning that he will vote to recommend that the Senate confirm Trump’s nominee to fill the vacant SCOTUS seat left by Justice Anthony Kennedy.
BREAKING — Flake Will Vote to Confirm Judge Kavanaugh
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) September 28, 2018
Flake’s was a critical swing vote because he sits on the Judiciary Committee, and could have swayed the committee’s 11-10 majority in favor of the Democrats. Late Thursday, Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, another skeptic and Trump adversary, said he had made up his mind as to how he will vote, but that he wasn’t willing to share it just yet.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders said they are working to convince Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to vote for Kavanaugh, which would break the Democrats wall of unanimous opposition. Attention now turns to Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a key moderate vote. She and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski had said they were undecided on how they would vote. After the conclusion of yesterday’s hearing, Collins, Murkowski, Flake and Manchin were spotted huddling near the hideaway where Collins viewed the hearing.
The probability that Kavanaugh will be confirmed surged on the news, according to online betting market PredictIt.
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