Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said in a statement there is no evidence to support Ford's accusations and that Kavanaugh is the subject of a last-minute smear campaign. Daines announced his support of Kavanaugh on July 9, the day President Donald Trump nominated the federal D.C. Appellate Court judge. The senator confirmed he will vote to confirm Kavanaugh.

“I watched the entire hearing from gavel to gavel. I made it very clear from the beginning that I wanted to hear from both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh because of the seriousness of these allegations. And I thank both of them for coming before the Committee to be heard," Daines said in a statement emailed Thursday night. "But as I watched it today, I concluded that there is no corroborating evidence to support this serious allegation. Rather, this seems to be an orchestrated smear campaign intended to destroy Judge Kavanaugh at the eleventh hour. The Democrats turned this process into an embarrassing, political circus that will have lasting effects for generations to come. They should be ashamed. I look forward to casting my vote for Judge Kavanaugh.”

Tester's Republican opponent, Matt Rosendale, echoed Daines' smear campaign accusation by email. He did not name Tester.