After weeks of an intense media circus over unsubstantiated allegations regarding sexual assault from 36 years ago, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted “No” on cloture this Friday only to follow it up with an announcement that she will vote “No” on the final vote.
According to Murkowski, Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a “good man” but not right for the court, which means she never intended on voting for him in the first place, as reported by The Hill.
“[I] took the very, very difficult vote that I did. I believe that Brett Kavanaugh is a good man. I believe he is a good man, it just may be that in my view he’s not the right man for the court at this time,” Murkowski told reporters following the vote on Friday.
Ultimately, the vote count came down to a clean swap between Republican Sen. Murkowski and Democratic Sen. Manchin of West Virginia. An M for an M, if you will. Manchin, who faces a tough reelection campaign in a state that overwhelmingly favors Kavanaugh, will most likely be a “Yes” vote on Saturday. That puts the final count at a likely 51-49.
Keeping it dramatic, Murkowski said her “No” on Kavanaugh was one of the “most difficult” she has made in her political career. In the end, she let issues “bigger than the nominee” sway her decision.
“I believe we are dealing with issues right now that are bigger than a nominee and how we ensure that our institutions, not only the legislative branch but our judicial branch, continue to be respected. This is what I’ve been wrestling with,” Murowski said.
“But if people who are victims, people who feel that they’re is no fairness in our system of government, particularly within our courts, we’ve gone down a path that is not good and right for this country,” she added.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) voted “Yes” on cloture and is a rumored “Yes” on the final vote. She will not reveal her final decision until 3PM ET on Friday afternoon. Sen. Flake (R-AZ) has signaled he will be voting “Yes” on the floor.