Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced that he would vote yes on confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Manchin said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:
From the start of this process, I promised my constituents that I would look seriously at Judge Kavanaugh’s record and cast my vote based on the facts I have before me and what is best for West Virginia. I met with the nominee for over two hours, attended his hearings, spoke with constitutional experts, and heard from thousands of West Virginians.
I have reservations about this vote given the serious accusations against Judge Kavanaugh and the temperament he displayed in the hearing. And my heart goes out to anyone who has experienced any type of sexual assault in their life. However, based on all of the information I have available to me, including the recently completed FBI report, I have found Judge Kavanaugh to be a qualified jurist who will follow the Constitution and determine cases based on the legal findings before him. I do hope that Judge Kavanaugh will not allow the partisan nature this process took to follow him onto the court.
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With respect to any cases that may come before him impacting the 800,000 West Virginians with pre-existing conditions, Judge Kavanaugh assured me personally that he would consider the human impacts and approach any decision with surgical precision to avoid unintended consequences. That is why I voted to confirm Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to serve on the Supreme Court because I believe he will rule in a manner that is consistent with our Constitution.
Joe Manchin Put Saving His Senate Seat Ahead Of Sexual Assault Survivors
Sen. Manchin can rationalize this vote any way that he wants, but this was a political decision made out of a sense of political self-survival. Manchin is a Senator from one of the few states where Trump is popular. His vote doesn’t matter, because with Republicans Jeff Flake and Susan Collins supporting Kavanaugh, the nomination is going to be confirmed, but Manchin’s vote means that the Kavanaugh confirmation vote will not be party line.
Sen. Manchin is trying to win an election in West Virginia, and his message is that we should believe women unless it will cost him votes in November.
Thankfully, this is not what the rest of the Democratic Party stands for.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
