Update 2:22 pm ET: The Montana Senate election has been called for Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat who voted against Kavanaugh.
As of Wednesday morning, every incumbent Democrat senator in a competitive race who voted against Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court has lost.
The senate race in Montana is still too close to call, but it looks like Republican Matt Rosendale will eke out a victory. Incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, voted against Kavanaugh in October after the judge was accused without evidence of teenage sexual misconduct.
In Indiana, Republican Mike Braun defeated incumbent Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly. Donnelly had voted yes on President Donald Trump’s first Supreme Court nomination, Neil Gorsuch, but said he would vote “no” on Kavanaugh.
“I have deep reservations about Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to this lifetime position and, as I stated, we have been unable to get all the information necessary regarding this nomination, despite my best efforts,” Donnelly said at the time. “Only 113 people have ever served on the Supreme Court, and I believe that we must do our level best to protect its sanctity.”
Donnelly also said the allegations against Kavanaugh were “disturbing and credible” and he wanted the FBI to investigate. The FBI did investigate and found no evidence to support the allegedly credible allegations.
This pattern also occurred with Democrat Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota. She voted for Gorsuch but against Kavanaugh despite a majority of voters in her state wanting Kavanaugh confirmed. Heitkamp announced she would vote “no” on Kavanaugh after watching his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the accusations against him with the sound off.
“In addition to the concerns about his past conduct, last Thursday’s hearing called into question for me Judge Kavanaugh’s current temperament, his honesty, and his impartiality. These are critical traits of any nominee to serve on the highest court in our country,” Heitkamp said in a statement at the time. “Dr. Ford gave a heartfelt, credible, and persuasive testimony. It took a great deal of courage, and it also came at great personal cost to her. … Our actions right now are an important signal to young girls and women across the country … ”
Kavanaugh was not Heitkamp’s only problem, of course. In her zeal to appear sympathetic to victims of sexual assault, her campaign published an ad claiming to be a letter written by survivors. The only problem was the campaign didn’t seek permission from these women to name them and use their locations. Heitkamp was already down in the polls for her vote on Kavanaugh, but this blunder sealed her fate.
Republican Kevin Cramer defeated Heitkamp Tuesday night in North Dakota.
In Missouri, Sen. Claire McCaskill, the Democrat incumbent, voted against Kavanaugh. She, too, lost to her Republican challenger, Josh Hawley. It also appears Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida will be defeated by Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Nelson also voted against Kavanaugh.
Every Democrat in a Red or Red-ish state who voted against Kavanaugh has either lost or looks likely to lose. By contrast, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted for Kavanaugh and won re-election despite running in a state that Trump carried in 2016.
There is one outlier to all of this: In Nevada, Democrat Jacky Rosen defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Dean Heller, who voted for Kavanaugh. Nevada is not a Red State, however.