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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 5 OctOber 2018

Tricky time for GOP female senators facing Kavanaugh vote

By LAURIE KELLMAN hasn't been corroborated
WASHINGTON (AP) — The and people should be
Trump era has, at times, presumed innocent until
been uncomfortable for proved guilty. West Virginia
Republican women, es- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
pecially the six senators — like Ford, a graduate of
who will be asked to vote the Holton-Arms School —
for Brett Kavanaugh's Su- has said she supports Kava-
preme Court confirmation naugh.
by week's end. ___
On Tuesday night, Presi- ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
dent Donald Trump ridi- The Kavanaugh question
culed Christine Blasey Ford, followed some female
who accuses Kavanaugh Republicans on the cam-
of sexually assaulting her in paign trail Wednesday.
high school — a claim Ka- Outside Phoenix, Rep. Mar-
vanaugh denies. tha McSally, a sexual as-
Recent polls show a major- sault survivor herself, said
ity of women think the Sen- the issues raised by Ford
ate should not confirm Ka- are "pretty personal." She's
vanaugh. But Republican running for a Senate seat in
women, like GOP men, are Arizona against Democrat-
overwhelmingly sticking ic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.
with the nominee. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, walks on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018 in Washington, as McSally said that, if no ad-
A look at how it's playing reporters ask her questions. ditional information emerg-
out for female Republican Associated Press es from the FBI review, she
senators: supports confirming Kava-
___ That's put a pair of fe- called Trump's scoffing at election this year. naugh. "Based on the in-
THE CRITICAL TWO male Republican senators, Ford "just plain wrong." ___ formation we have, we're
In the Senate, the sav- Maine's Susan Collins and Added Murkowski a few TWO ON THE BALLOT unable to corroborate with
age national debate over Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, un- hours later: "I thought the Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith was any other account what
power and who to be- der excruciating pressure. president's comments yes- rushing to a vote Wednes- the allegations are," she
lieve has above all been Neither has said how she terday mocking Dr. Ford day when a woman shout- said Wednesday.
about the math. Two GOP will vote. Each wants to see were wholly inappropriate ed at her, "Do you believe She added that she has
votes against Kavanaugh's the results of the FBI investi- and in my view unaccept- survivors?" sympathy for Ford and that
confirmation sink it if every gation. able." Hyde-Smith didn't answer. people need to understand
Democrat votes no. Collins on Wednesday Neither senator is up for re- The Mississippi Republican, why sexual assault survivors
sworn in last April for a seat stay quiet for years. Asked
the GOP needs to keep, about Trump's mockery in
hopped on a Senate sub- Mississippi, McSally said,
way that sped her toward "I'd prefer that we all have
the Capitol. But she's left some grace here."
no doubt where she stands ___
on Kavanaugh. In her first POLLING
speech on the Senate The bad news for Repub-
floor, she announced that licans: Recent polls show
it was her "duty" to support that a majority of women
Kavanaugh. She made do not think Kavanaugh
time to appear at Trump's should be confirmed. The
rally Tuesday night in South- good news: Republicans,
aven, Mississippi. women and men, are over-
Also on the ballot is Sen. whelmingly sticking by the
Deb Fischer of Nebraska, nominee.
who is campaigning for a A Quinnipiac University poll
second Senate term. Pro- conducted in the days af-
testers shouted at her on ter Ford and Kavanaugh
the way in and out of a testified showed that pub-
hearing Wednesday. lic opinion had started to tilt
Fischer has said she intends against Kavanaugh, with
to support Kavanaugh, 48 percent of voters op-
but added, "We're going posed to his confirmation
to see what the investiga- and 42 percent in favor. A
tion brings, and let's get the September Quinnipiac poll
vote." found a nearly even split in
___ opinions on the confirma-
THE OTHER TWO tion. Women were far more
The two other Republican likely than men in the poll
female senators say vic- to oppose Kavanaugh, 55
tims should be heard, but percent to 40 percent. But
they want Kavanaugh 84 percent of Republicans
confirmed. Sen. Joni Ernst, said Kavanaugh should be
R-Iowa, said Ford's story confirmed.q