Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Should the Kavanaugh vote be delayed? Here’s what every senator has said.

The Senate Judiciary Committee was scheduled to vote Thursday to recommend Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the entire Senate.

But over the weekend, Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, came forward with sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. She told the Washington Post that when they were in high school, a drunk Kavanaugh held her down at a party and attempted to force himself on her, and then covered her mouth when she tried to scream. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations.

So far, these revelations haven’t been enough for the Judiciary Committee to postpone its vote. In the wake of the allegations, senators have generally fallen into three camps:

  • Every Democratic member of the committee has called on the vote to be delayed.
  • A handful of Republicans, including some on the Judiciary Committee, have said they want to get more information before the Senate Judiciary vote. Some have said they want Ford and Kavanaugh to testify under oath — something both have said they are willing to do.
  • But most Republican members of the committee have stayed silent, neither calling for a delay nor expressing any desire for more information about sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh — a man who is being considered for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land.

Below is the list of Democrats (and one Republican) who want to delay the vote, the short list of senators who want more information, and the very long list of senators (mostly Republican) who have stayed silent.

See More:

More in Politics

Podcasts
The Supreme Court abortion pills case, explainedThe Supreme Court abortion pills case, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

How Louisiana brought mifepristone back to SCOTUS.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Politics
Trump’s China policy is nearly the exact opposite of what everyone expectedTrump’s China policy is nearly the exact opposite of what everyone expected
Politics

As Trump heads to China, attention and resources are being shifted from Asia to yet another war in the Middle East.

By Joshua Keating
Politics
Are far-right politics just the new normal?Are far-right politics just the new normal?
Politics

Liberals are preparing for a longer war with right-wing populists than they once expected.

By Zack Beauchamp
The Logoff
Flavored vapes doomed Trump’s FDA headFlavored vapes doomed Trump’s FDA head
The Logoff

Why Marty Makary is out at the FDA, briefly explained.

By Cameron Peters
Politics
Virginia Democrats’ irresponsible new plan to save their gerrymanderVirginia Democrats’ irresponsible new plan to save their gerrymander
Politics

Democrats just handed the Supreme Court’s Republicans a loaded weapon.

By Ian Millhiser
The Logoff
Can Trump lower gas prices?Can Trump lower gas prices?
The Logoff

What suspending the gas tax would mean for you, briefly explained.

By Cameron Peters