Heitkamp: Vote to oppose Kavanaugh wasn't about politics
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) acknowledged in an interview scheduled to be broadcast late Sunday that voting for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh would have been "politically expedient," but argued her vote was about more than politics.
Heitkamp appeared on "60 Minutes" days after she voted "no" on Kavanaugh's nomination despite facing a difficult re-election battle in a state that President Trump won by more than 35 points in 2016. Scott Pelley pointed out that political consultants would have advised her to vote in favor of the judge's nomination.
"I don't think there's any doubt about that. I think that the politically expedient vote here was a 'yes' vote," Heitkamp said.
"Why not then?" Pelley asked.
"Because this isn't about politics," the senator responded.
Link to tweet
Two polls released last week prior to Heitkamp's vote being made public showed the incumbent trailing challenger Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) by double digits.
Heitkamp announced her intention to vote "no" on Thursday, pointing to allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh, and questioning his judicial temperament.
On "60 Minutes," she highlighted the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, who told the Senate Judiciary Committee that she was "100 percent" certain Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and groped her during a high school party in the 1980s.
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/410286-heitkamp-vote-to-oppose-kavanaugh-isnt-about-politics
= new reply since forum marked as read
We're in a different state. 
