WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia voted “yes” during a procedural vote Friday morning on the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Manchin was the only Democrat to break partisan ranks. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted “no” and was the only GOP member to dissent in a 51-49 vote to end debate.
A final vote on Kavanaugh is expected Saturday.
Manchin remained vague about his stance until minutes before the cloture vote, saying as late as Friday morning that he probably wouldn’t make up his mind until he entered the Senate Chamber.
In the MetroNews Dominion Post West Virginia Poll released last month, 62 percent of likely voters in the Mountain State said they wanted Manchin to vote in favor of confirming Kavanaugh. Thirty-eight percent say no, that Manchin should not vote in favor of Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Manchin is in a heated race against Republican challenger Patrick Morrisey, who contends the incumbent was “gutless” for making a last-minute political calculation instead of a resolute stand on Kavanaugh.
In a Tweet after the vote for cloture, Morrisey stated:
“Cowardice. Manchin literally waited until the outcome of the Kavanaugh procedural vote was decided before he piled on to join the winning side. We don’t need a gutless Senator from WV. Who in the media will call him out for being a modern day Hamlet?”
In late July, Manchin was the first Democrat to meet with Kavanaugh, calling the two-hour meeting “very productive” bu taking no public position.
In early July, Manchin said he would give the nomination significant consideration.
“As the Senator from West Virginia, I have a constitutional obligation to advise and consent on a nominee to fill Supreme Court vacancies and I take that responsibility seriously,” Manchin stated then.
“Just as I did when Merrick Garland and Neil Gorsuch were nominated, I will evaluate Judge Kavanaugh’s record, legal qualifications, judicial philosophy and particularly, his views on healthcare.”
In a poll released last week by the Judicial Crisis Network, which has spent millions of dollars in West Virginia in support of Kavanaugh’s nomination, said a vote by Manchin in favor of Kavanaugh by Manchin would cause 33 percent of Democrats to be more likely to vote for Manchin in his race against state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey while 23 percent would be less like. Forty-three percent of Democrats surveyed said it wouldn’t make a difference.
In that same poll, 43 percent of Republicans said they would be more likely to vote for Manchin if he’s a “yes” vote on Kavanaugh. A similar 43 percent of Republicans said it would make no difference.
