Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin rebuked Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s recent calls to delay the President’s State of the Union Address until the federal government re-opens this week; calling her political maneuver the “wrong approach.”
Manchin was speaking with MSNBC when he was asked to comment on Pelosi’s insistence the Commander-in-Chief delay the speech or submit his comments in writing.
“I’m not sure what her intentions are – I have much respect for Speaker Pelosi – but I think this is a wrong approach to be taking,” Manchin said. “The approach by saying we’re going to shut this down … because of security — I think our staff, and I spoke to Capitol police, they’re still in and getting paid.”
BREAKING NOW: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin to ‘VOTE YES’ on Kavanaugh
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin unveiled his decision regarding Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination Friday afternoon; saying he will vote “yes” on President Trump’s Supreme Court pick.
“I will vote to support Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh,” tweeted Manchin just seconds after GOP Sen. Susan Collins pledged her support to the potential Justice.
I will vote to support Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. pic.twitter.com/1FfuMTOZz8
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) October 5, 2018
The support of Senators Manchin and Collins gives Judge Kavanaugh 51 likely votes in the United States Senate; enough to pass the 50-vote threshold and confirm the Justice to the United States Supreme Court.
The full Senate will vote as early as Saturday morning.
HAUNTED MANCHIN? Joe Manchin’s Senate Race TIGHTENING, Down 2% in West Virginia
A recently released poll from the National Republican Senatorial Committee found challenger Patrick Morrisey making big gains in his West Virginia Senate race against incumbent Joe Manchin; closing a once double-digit gap just days before the 2018 midterm elections.
According to the Washington Examiner, the survey published last week shows Morrisey with a 44% lead over Sen. Manchin who stands at 42%.
Libertarian candidate Rusty Hollen snagged just 3% and 12% are still undecided.
“Since the confirmation fight over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Republican Senate candidates have surged in red states. West Virginia has remained a tough target for the GOP, however, even though President Trump won the state by 42 points in 2016,” writes the Examiner.
The race is largely considered a “tossup” with Manchin taking a 12% lead in a polling average conducted by Real Clear Politics.
Read the full story at the Washington Examiner.