According to Politico, Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) and Susan Collins (R-ME) were far less confrontational after Trump’s announcement Monday night than they had been with the possibility of Judge Amy Coney Barrett joining the Court.
Murkowski allowed, "Let’s put it this way: There were some who have been on the list that I would have had a very, very difficult time supporting, just based on what was already publicly known about them. We’re not dealing with that."
Collins said she wouldn’t compare Kavanaugh to Barrett, then added, "It will be very difficult for anyone to argue that he’s not qualified for the job. He clearly is qualified for the job. But there are other issues involving judicial temperament and his political or rather his judicial philosophy that also will play into my decision."
Last week, Collins stated to MSNBC, "I think I’ve made it pretty clear that if a nominee has demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade and has said that they are not going to abide by that long-standing precedent, that I could not support that nominee," hinting that Barrett, who stated in a defense of the late Justice Antonin Scalia that Roe V. Wade was often disregarded as a superprecedent (a decision that should not be overruled), would not get her vote.
Murkowski had told Bloomberg that Roe vs. Wade would be "a factor" in her decision.
Both senators voted for Kavanaugh’s nomination to the D.C. Circuit Court in 2006.