Senate: Gaming Out Kavanaugh’s Confirmation

… There are two ways of looking at the process of confirming a Supreme Court nominee: through the eyes of each party, or through the eyes of individual Senators.

When it comes to Kavanaugh’s confirmation, Republicans’ task is pretty straightforward. They need to guide the nominee through individual meetings with Senators and through the hearings, and keep the members of its conference on board. So far, it appears that they are on their way to accomplishing both.

Democrats’ task is inherently trickier. First, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is not going to be able to keep all 49 Democrats in the fold. Second, he needs to decide how much of a fight to put up, knowing that the party’s odds of denying Kavanaugh’s confirmation are ultimately almost nonexistent. CONT.

Jennifer E. Duffy, Cook Political Report