Brett Kavanaugh seems assured of surviving a U.S. Supreme Court nomination fight for the ages today after two wavering senators said they would back him despite weeks of shocking accusations, hardball politics and rowdy Capitol protests.
Announcements by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia that they’ll support the conservative jurist made the confirmation vote a formality, an anticlimactic finale to a battle that riveted the nation for nearly a month.
While the Democrats’ defeat was all but certain, the Senate remained in session overnight, though the chamber was mostly empty. The roll call seemed destined to be nearly party-line, with just a single defector from each side capping a contest fought against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement and U.S. President Donald Trump’s unyielding support of his nominee.