It was "the right thing to do," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said of West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin supporting Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo Elections McConnell says GOP will still challenge Manchin in midterms

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Republicans will still campaign against Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) despite his being the only member of the opposing party who voted to approve now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.

“Joe Manchin’s still a Democrat, and we’re trying to hold the majority,” the Kentucky Republican said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” when asked whether he would tell President Donald Trump not to campaign against the red-state Democrat.


But McConnell said he appreciated Manchin’s vote, which he called “the right thing to do.”

The Manchin campaign released a poll on Wednesday that showed him with a 12-point lead against his Republican challenger, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, with a month to go. But an internal poll released by Morrisey’s campaign in late September showed the two men in a dead heat.

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McConnell also said he expected the House and the Senate to bridge their differences over sexual harassment legislation by the end of the year. Both chambers have passed bills overhauling rules governing sexual harassment on Capitol Hill, but disagreements remain, including the conditions under which lawmakers should be on the hook for settlements.