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Maine Sen. Susan Collins has made it abundantly clear: she's voting for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, no matter what. So where does that leave Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Collins' fellow Republican and sometimes-partner in bucking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell?
It leaves Murkowski stranded. Back home, a key part of the coalition who got her re-elected to the Senate in her historic 2010 write-in victory is increasing the pressure on her to oppose the nominee. The Alaska Federation of Natives, which comprises 20 percent of the state's population, took the unusual step of opposing this nomination last week. Since then, the Alaska House Bush Caucus, a group of state legislators focused on tribal and rural representation, has been lobbying both of the state's senators against Kavanaugh, writing "It has become clear that his confirmation would threaten Alaskans' access to healthcare, women's reproductive rights, and the United States' special trust relationship with federally recognized tribes." They had to send the letter to both senators, but Murkowski was the audience because she's the one who supposedly stands for protecting all these things.
Julie Kitka, the president of AFN, told HuffPost that she has been talking with Murkowski throughout the nomination and confirmation process, and will continue to do so up until the vote. "Our opposition is significant because the issues that we raise are not just small issues that Congress can fix," Kitka said. "Our concerns go right to the heart of what authority Congress has and the Supreme Court's interpretation of that authority with regard to Native Americans."
Collins' betrayal of principle lets Murkowski off the hook in some ways.
Mitch McConnell doesn't need her vote now that Collins has all but declared that she's in the tank for Kavanaugh. He's got the 50 he needs, with Vice President Pence to put it over the top. So Murkowski basically has a free vote against him, one that she should absolutely exercise, but one that will increase Republican enmity against her. "She's going to be out there alone, out in front taking these positions and facing repercussions from her party," said an Alaska Native attorney, who has been talking to her regularly. "This is going to take active courage."
Collins isn't just betraying the nation's women, people of color, the LGBTQ community—everyone she's made a reputation supposedly standing up for. She's betraying her friend and colleague, hanging Murkowksi out to dry.