Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday he'll vote for Sonia Sotomayor — a key 'yes' vote coming from one of the top Republicans on the Judiciary Committee. Graham a 'yes' on Sotomayor

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday he’ll vote for Sonia Sotomayor — a key “yes” vote coming from one of the top Republicans on the Judiciary Committee.

Graham, in a surprisingly frank, praising speech on the Senate floor, said that President Barack Obama deserves “deference” for his pick for the Supreme Court.


“I believe she follows precedent, and I believe she is not an activist judge,” Graham said.

Other Republicans may now follow his lead and vote for Sotomayor, as well.

But Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl, an Arizona conservative, will not be one of them.

“Unfortunately, I have not been persuaded that Judge Sotomayor is absolutely committed to setting aside her biases and impartially deciding cases based upon the rule of law,” Kyl said. “And I cannot ignore her unwillingness to answer senators’ questions straightforwardly.”

Privately, Republicans are now predicting that Sotomayor may receive upward of 70 votes for confirmation by the time the vote happens the first week of August.