WASHINGTON — It’s going to be a “no” vote on Brett Kavanaugh from North Dakota’s Heidi Heitkamp, one of the few Democratic senators who had been undecided on the Supreme Court nominee.
Heitkamp says in a statement that “there are many extremely qualified candidates” for the nation’s highest court, and she’s ready to work with President Donald Trump “to confirm a nominee who is suited for the honor and distinction of serving this lifetime appointment.”
But there’s no sign Trump is abandoning Kavanaugh, and a procedural vote is set for the Senate on Friday.
Heitkamp has come under pressure over where she stood on Kavanaugh’s nomination. She’s facing a tight re-election race in a state that Trump won by a large margin in 2016. Her opponent is a GOP congressman, Kevin Cramer, and the race is seen as critical for Republicans’ chances to keep the Senate.
Heitkamp’s decision comes a week after a Senate committee hearing when a California college professor testified that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh also testified and denied Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations.
When anti-Kavanaugh protesters outside the Supreme Court heard the news about Heitkamp, they let out a huge roar.
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