President Donald Trump cheered the U.S. Senate’s advancement of a vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be the next justice on the Supreme Court in a Friday tweet.
Very proud of the U.S. Senate for voting “YES” to advance the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2018
The Senate voted 51–49 to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination with one key Republican Senator voting against the judge. Murkowski’s “no” vote was offset by a “yes” vote from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin who represents a state that voted overwhelmingly for President Donald Trump.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins also voted to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination but said she will reveal her final vote in a 3 p.m. speech on the Senate floor. The advancement of Kavanaugh’s nomination gives the Senate 30 hours of debate before a straight up or down vote can occur.
Vice President Mike Pence also tweeted in support of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. In the event of a tie in the Senate over Kavanaugh’s nomination, Pence would cast the deciding vote per his constitutional duty as president of the Senate.
Today, a majority in the Senate voted to advance the nomination of a good person & a great intellect to #SCOTUS – Judge Brett Kavanaugh. We are grateful to every Senator who voted aye. Now Judge Kavanaugh will get the final vote he deserves. It’s time to #ConfirmKavanaugh
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) October 5, 2018