Sen. Joe Manchin, (D-WV) heads to the Senate Security Office to peruse the FBI report on sexual assault in connection with U.S. Supreme Court nominee judge Brett Kavanaugh in Washington, U.S., October 5, 2018. REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert
October 5, 2018
By Ginger Gibson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A liberal group that raises money to help elect Democratic U.S. candidates will not aid Senator Joe Manchin’s re-election campaign after he votes this weekend to confirm Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, a spokesman said on Friday.
Manchin will back Kavanaugh in the final confirmation vote expected to be held Saturday, he announced Friday afternoon.
The group, Priorities USA, so far has spent no money to support Manchin, the only Democrat to join with Republicans on Friday in a procedural vote moving President Donald Trump’s latest nominee a step closer to a lifetime seat on the nation’s top court.
The super PAC, which is allowed to raise and spend unlimited sums trying to influence elections, also ruled out assisting Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen, spokesman Josh Schwerin said in a phone interview. Bredesen, who is running for a seat being vacated by a Republican, said in a statement Friday that he would have voted to confirm Kavanaugh had he been in the Senate.
The move comes almost a month before the Nov. 6 congressional elections, when Democrats aim to win two more seats in the Senate that would give them a majority they say they could use to more effectively block Trump’s agenda.
The political action committee’s decision on the two candidates is a sign of how charged the debate around Kavanaugh has become. Democrats have organized to oppose his nomination to the nation’s highest court, which became more divisive after Christine Blasey Ford last month accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were teenagers.
Priorities USA is one of the largest liberal super PACs. At the end of August, it had spent $16 million for this election cycle and had $7 million on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Recent opinion polls on Manchin’s West Virginia race have shown him leading his Republican opponent in a state that heavily supported Trump in 2016. Polls show Bredesen, a popular former governor, about even with Republican Marsha Blackburn.
Senate Majority PAC, a separate super PAC run by allies of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, will continue to spend in support of Manchin and Bredesen, said the group’s spokesman, Chris Hayden.
“No change in our spending,” Hayden said by email. “Phil Bredesen and Joe Manchin are the only candidates who have an independent record of results for Tennessee and West Virginia families.”
Super PACs are barred from donating directly to candidates or coordinating with their campaigns. They spend millions of dollars trying to influence voters, primarily through advertising.
(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Scott Malone)
