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GOP Opponent Predicts Manchin Will Vote Yes on Kavanaugh

Sen. Joe Manchin's (D., W.Va.) Republican opponent believes he will end up supporting Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court to save his own political career.

Patrick Morrisey, currently West Virginia's attorney general, said Tuesday afternoon that he expects Manchin to straddle the fence on Kavanaugh, calling it "the Joe Manchin way."

"What you will see over the next month, you began to see it last week, is that Joe Manchin is flopping along, straddling that fence," Morrisey said. "Joe Manchin knows that he will ultimately vote for Kavanaugh, that he is going to be in a very difficult position with Chuck Schumer and his liberal donors."

"I fully expect Senator Joe Manchin to support Brett Kavanaugh, and here is why: Because at the end of the day, this is about his political survival," he said. "I think he believes he must support Brett Kavanaugh, otherwise, he will be assuredly going down in defeat in November."

Morrisey laid out Manchin's pattern of "flip-flopping" on issues based on political calculations.

"This is a person who throughout his career has been flip-flopping on every major issue that counts," Morrisey said before laying out his argument.

"Hillary Clinton: He had a full-throated endorsement in support of her, and just recently he said it was a mistake to support Hillary Clinton. Look at Planned Parenthood. He has been on both sides of that issue as evidence of the picture you see with Joe Manchin and his support for Planned Parenthood. Second Amendment rights: Joe Manchin sold us out. He originally ran for the U.S. Senate, he put a bullet hole in a cap and trade bill, and yet he is wrong on cap and trade and he certainly demonstrated that he is wrong on the Second Amendment. Flip-Flop, Flip-Flop. That is the Joe Manchin way."

Manchin is believed to be one of the most likely Democrats to vote yes on Kavanaugh's nomination. He voted for Justice Neil Gorsuch's confirmation last year, and his reelection fate rests in the hands of voters supportive of Trump.

Morrisey says he will win in November whether Manchin votes for Kavanaugh or not.

"I think he believes he must support Brett Kavanaugh, otherwise, he will be assuredly going down in defeat in November. We're still going to win even if he votes for Kavanaugh."