Senate Votes to Advance Kavanaugh Nom; Lisa Murkowski Is a No

The U.S. Senate today voted 51-49 to advance Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination to a final vote, which is expected to come Saturday.

The procedural vote was notable for Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voting not to advance the nomination. Murkowski is considered one of the key undecided senators on Kavanaugh. After her vote, she told journalists that she thinks he is a "good man," but not the "right man for the court at this time," CBS News reports.

Other potential undecided senators, Republicans Susan Collins and Jeff Flake and Democrat Joe Manchin, voted to advance the nomination, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will vote yes on final confirmation. Flake told reporters that he will vote to confirm Kavanaugh unless there is a major change. Collins is set to announce her intention at 3 p.m. Eastern time today. Manchin said he remains undecided and was going to review the FBI background check report on Kavanaugh again, according to CBS.

The background check was reopened, at Flake's suggestion, due to the allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh. His first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her during a high school party. Kavanaugh strongly denies that her was the perpetrator. He has also denied the accusations brought by Deborah Ramirez, Julie Swetnick, and an anonymous woman.

Kavanaugh is a solid conservative who, as an appeals court judge, has tended to side with corporations over workers and regulatory bodies. He does not have a major paper trail on LGBTQ rights but has endorsed religious exemptions for employers that do not wish to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives. He also notably dissented from a decision allowing an undocumented teen in federal detention to have an abortion.

Most Democrats, along with LGBTQ and other progressive organizations, have opposed his nomination from the start. "The well was poisoned from the outset," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said today.

One Republican senator, Steve Daines of Montana, will be absent Saturday because of his daughter's wedding but said he would fly back to Washington immediately after he walks her down the aisle, CNN reports. He floated the possibility that the Senate could hold the vote open for his return. He supports Kavanaugh.