The American Civil Liberties Union is targeting mostly Republicans in a buy spread across four states to stop Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. | Michael Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images Kavanaugh Confirmation ACLU spending more than $1M to oppose Kavanaugh

The American Civil Liberties Union is jumping into the Supreme Court ad wars, spending just over $1 million to stop Brett Kavanaugh's nomination this week.

The ACLU is targeting mostly Republicans in a buy spread across four states: Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Dan Sullivan of Alaska. The campaign is also focusing on Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.


The ACLU is not targeting undecided GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Jeff Flake of Arizona, who joined with Murkowski and Manchin to call for an FBI probe of sexual assault allegations facing Kavanaugh.

Until recently, the group has not formally opposed Kavanaugh since his nomination and stopped its ad campaign targeting Murkowski and Collins once he was nominated. But the ACLU decided over the weekend to oppose Kavanaugh and launch an advocacy and advertising campaign against the high-court nominee following his testimony last week about the allegations from Christine Blasey Ford that he sexually assaulted her. The ACLU did not oppose Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch last year and officials said it has only opposed four Supreme Court nominees in its history.

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The ad runs footage of former President Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby and Kavanaugh denying allegations against them and will launch on cable and broadcast TV, including during the Denver Broncos game on Monday evening. The ad also shows photos of Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose, all of whom were fired after sexual misconduct allegations."

"We've seen this before. Denials from powerful men," a narrator says in the Colorado version of the ad. "America is watching, and as we choose a lifetime seat on our highest court, integrity matters. And we cannot have any doubt. Senator Gardner, oppose the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh."

The ACLU is also doing phone banking, congressional office visits and a day of action in D.C. as part of its anti-Kavanaugh campaign.