Sen. Susan Collins is swarmed by reporters outside the Senate Floor after declaring her support for Kavanaugh on Friday. | M. Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO kavanaugh confirmation Kavanaugh’s confirmation all but assured Sen. Susan Collins' support caps weeks of drama surrounding the Supreme Court nominee's battle to sit on the high court.

Brett Kavanaugh's place on the Supreme Court is almost fully secured, with 51 senators publicly supporting him on Friday after three weeks of scandal and political theater.

The four remaining undecided votes on President Donald Trump's nominee clicked into place Friday afternoon after Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced she would support him in a lengthy speech that immediately drew howls from anguished protesters. Collins was the 50th and deciding vote, while Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) followed her minutes later.


"I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the court," Collins said of accusations against the 53-year-old appeals court judge. "I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) opposed Kavanaugh on Friday morning's procedural vote, a move she said she personally wrestled with as the judge mired in multiple sexual misconduct allegations. The Alaskan called Kavanaugh "a good man" but said the issues shrouding his confirmation were "bigger than a nominee."

But Murkowski's stance didn't stop Kavanaugh from winning the support of Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who indicated after an earlier procedural vote that he would remain a yes "unless something big changed." And at the conclusion of Collins' lengthy speech — where she took aim at the judge's critics — Manchin's announcement turned Kavanaugh's often-dramatic confirmation fight into something of an anticlimax.

Collins move drew praise from GOP leadership. “I’m proud of Sen. Collins to resist the intimidation,” said Majority Whip Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.).

The Friday morning 51-49 procedural vote to advance Kavanaugh to a final vote fell mostly along party lines, with Murkowski voting "no" and Manchin voting "yes." The final vote is expected to occur on Saturday afternoon.

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Most senators sat at their desk as the dramatic roll call unfolded, with major suspense over where Murkowski, Manchin and Flake would land. Collins was the first swing vote to support Kavanaugh on the procedural roll call, quickly followed by Flake. Murkowski then inaudibly voted no, a jarring defection that left Republicans with no room for error.

After it was clear that Kavanaugh had the 50 votes needed to advance, Manchin became Kavanaugh's only Democratic supporter. Manchin, who left the chamber when the clerk called his name, came back into the chamber and voted in favor of Kavanaugh. His phone could be seen ringing and Manchin stared at it as the vote continued.

McConnell appeared emotionless during the vote, betraying nothing of his confidence level moving forward. His deputies were cautiously optimistic but still uncertain and said Collins has not indicated how she will vote on the final roll call.

And Democrats weren't yet willing to wave the white flag even after Kavanaugh's initial triumph.

“This was a mistake. I don’t know. I think we’re going to have to let this vote settle. I think there’s going to be a lot of thought," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who is relatively close to Murkowski and Collins.

The two moderate GOP women sat next to each other during the vote and sat almost motionless. As the vote began to wrap up, Collins and Murkowski chatted amiably, leaning toward each other as they spoke. The two both voted against proceeding to a vote to repeal Obamacare last year, as well as the final measure.

Murkowsi explained she didn't make up her mind until she walked into the vote on Friday.

“I believe Brett Kavanaugh is a good man,” she says. But he’s “not the right man for the court.”

Flake and Manchin said little to their colleagues during the vote, though Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) patted Manchin on the back at one point. Flake indicated he would support Kavanaugh on the final vote “unless something big changed. I don’t see what would."

"This is a difficult decision for everybody," Flake told reporters. Asked if Kavanaugh would be confirmed on Saturday, he said: "I think so."

And Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is set to fly to Montana for his daughter's wedding, which will occur on Saturday. A Kavanaugh supporter, Daines could be forced to return to D.C. immediately afterward if the Montana Republican is the deciding vote.

"We'll wait and see how this all unfolds," Daines said. "We have transportation arranged and we'll wait and see what happens." He said Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), a former tech executive, offered him the use of his private plane.

The suspense over Kavanaugh's fate has gripped the Senate for the past week, with security heightened and the chamber mired in tension that has at times turned highly personal.

Republican leaders earlier projected confidence after they said a supplemental FBI background check turned up no corroborating evidence to claims from Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor who accused Kavanaugh of attempting to rape her while they were both in high school. Kavanaugh was also accused of excessive drinking while in high school and college.

On Friday, Ford's attorneys released a statement again questioning why the FBI didn't didn't interview her and took issue with "false claims" that they say were raised to chip away at her credibility, including suggestions that she wouldn't release medical records or that she didn't want to travel to Washington because she had a fear of flying.

Trump himself has taken a more hands-off approach, instead largely communicating with his political allies, like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the officials said. As for Trump, White House aides described his mood as more frustrated than furious. The president has at times expressed annoyance that the process has dragged on, at one point directing some of his ire at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, according to one of the White House officials. But he has also come to believe that the episode will energize his conservative base ahead of the midterms.

James Arkin, Andrew Restuccia, Kyle Cheney, Rachael Bade and Matthew Choi contributed to this report.

