Every red state Democratic senator who voted against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation in October lost their re-election bids.
Democratic Sens. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Joe Donnelly of Indiana voted against President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick – all three lost on Tuesday. The only red state Democrat to support Kavanaugh was rewarded with a re-election victory.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin won Tuesday night against Republican state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. His success allowed the Democratic Party to salvage what was otherwise a lackluster performance up and down Senate races.
Trump campaigned hard against Manchin, but it was all for naught. As it turns out, the West Virginia Democrat’s “yes” vote to confirm Kavanaugh and his support of Trump administration energy policies seemed to stem Morrisey’s surge of support in the polls. (RELATED: Coal Country’s Quietly Clawing Its Way Out Of The Doldrums. How Long Will It Last?)
Missouri’s Senate race came down to the wire as Democratic incumbent McCaskill battled Republican challenger and sitting state Attorney General Josh Hawley to keep her seat for a third term. She lost despite suggesting that her opposition to Kavanaugh was not related to sexual allegations leveled against the justice as the confirmation process concluded.
Sen. Joe Donnelly speaks during a press conference for the Democrats’ new economic agenda on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., Aug. 2, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
Meanwhile, Republican businessman Mike Braun defeated Donnelly, which all but assured the GOP would hold the upper chamber of Congress. The outcome follows a hotly contested battle that left election forecasters unsure of what would happen. With 49 percent of the precincts reporting, Braun defeated Donnelly, the incumbent.
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