These 3 undecided Republican senators will determine if Brett Kavanaugh gets on US Supreme Court
Here’s a look at why they are undecided and which way they might be leaning
Three Republican senators likely hold in their hands Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the US Supreme Court following last week’s dramatic hearing into the allegation by Christine Blasey Ford of a decades-old sexual assault.
In order for Republicans to confirm Kavanaugh without any Democratic support, they can only afford to lose one of these senators.
Senator Lisa Murkowski
Concerns: Murkowski has been closely guarded about her opinions on Kavanaugh, but as one of the few Republican senators who supports abortion rights, how the judge might rule on abortion access and the future of the Affordable Care Act have been key issues for her.
But it might come down to more local concerns for Murkowski. The native Alaskan population has flooded the senator’s office with calls and letters about their fears about Kavanaugh’s past rulings on the environment, climate change and voting rights, as well as a case the Supreme Court is expected to hear this year about whether the state or federal government gets to set rules for subsistence fishing by indigenous people. Alaska’s native population drove Murkowski’s successful write-in campaign in 2010.
Alaska’s governor and lieutenant governor, both independents, oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation, which could give her added cover as well.