4 Things to Look for at Trump Supreme Court Nominee Kavanaugh's Senate Hearing

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Monday, September 03, 2018

Swing Votes?

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, meeting with Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 21, 2018. | (Screengrab/C-SPAN)

For many in and out of the Senate, the decision as to whether Kavanaugh should be confirmed to the Supreme Court was decided even before President Trump made his announcement.

Case in point, the Women's March organization, who accidentally released a statement on Kavanaugh's nomination that included "XX" where Kavanaugh's name was supposed to be.

"In response to Donald Trump's nomination of XX to the Supreme Court of the United States, The Women's March released the following statement," read the first sentence.

However, a few of the Senators have not yet confirmed how they will vote for the nominee. Following her one-on-one meeting with Kavanaugh in August, Collins said that she had not committed to either voting for or against Kavanaugh, explaining she has "always waited until after the Judiciary Committee hearings before rendering a final decision on a Supreme Court nominee."

According to CNBC, there are three Democrat Senators who are considered swing votes: Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Joe Donnelly of Indiana.

The three previously voted to confirm Gorsuch and are running for re-election in states Trump won in 2016, which may pressure them to break with their fellow Democrats, explained CNBC.