Reporting by CBS News’ Kathryn Watson, Bo Erickson, Nancy Cordes and Grace Segers
Judge Brett Kavanaugh will get a final Senate floor vote, after enough senators voted to advance his nomination Friday. The final vote was 51 to 49.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, one of four undecided key senators, voted against advancing Kavanaugh in a procedural vote, while Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, voted to advance his nomination. That does not necessarily mean those senators will vote the same way in a final vote, the timing of which has yet to be announced.
The vote comes amid allegations of sexual misconduct and intense protests that have divided the nation. The first floor vote on Kavanaugh Friday took place one day after Republicans and Democrats reviewed the FBI report detailing interviews about allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against the nominee. Republicans can only afford to lose one Republican, if all Democrats vote against Kavanaugh — but Manchin’s support in the first floor vote indicates that might change.
