This was the moment they had been waiting to see, that their families had been debating at dinner and they had spent days researching online. Roughly two hours in, they were not convinced it was enough to disqualify Judge Kavanaugh from the Supreme Court.

“It sounds like it’s real to her, I can’t judge that,” said Susan Kennedy, 57, who watched with her hand at her chin. “I go back to: When you hire somebody you look at who they are now. Even if he was part of that, it’s not who he is now.”

“Her story sounds credible. But just because she’s had a credible story does not mean it’s correct,” said Louellen Welsch, 62, who watched with her arms folded. “I need to have a lot more questioning.”

Ms. Welsch and Ms. Kennedy were sipping coffee at the home of a friend, Tamra Farah, a conservative activist in Colorado whose husband unsuccessfully ran for the Republican governor’s nomination this year. The three had met in church about 20 years ago when they moved to this pine-filled corner of Colorado, and now reunited several times a year for wine festivals and to catch up on how their children and grandchildren were doing. And now, for this.

Ms. Welsch recalled how she herself had survived multiple attempts at sexual assault as a girl and a young woman, and reflected on how some 30 years ago she had been forced to avoid a boss who made sexually charged jokes.

“I have a problem with this coming out now,” she said. “I would be glad to have those people prosecuted. I want those people punished, not ‘I’m going to keep this secret.’”

As Ms. Welsch described what had happened to her, Mrs. Farah came over and hugged her.

The friends criticized the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying they were grandstanding and were using Dr. Blasey’s testimony merely as a political weapon to block Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Exasperated, they urged the senators to stop talking and allow Dr. Blasey to testify.