Kavanaugh gets the votes to survive Supreme Court fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brett Kavanaugh seems assured of surviving a Supreme Court nomination fight for the ages after two wavering senators said they’d back him.

The announcements by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia came after weeks of shocking accusations, hardball politics and rowdy Capitol protests.

Their support makes Saturday’s vote to confirm Kavanaugh a formality. It is an anticlimactic finale to a battle that riveted the nation for nearly a month.

Republicans control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, and Saturday’s roll call seems destined to be nearly party-line, with just a single defector from each side.

The vote caps a contest fought against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement and President Donald Trump’s unyielding support of his Supreme Court nominee.