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Power, Confirmation & Lies

High court confirmation battle comes to a head, and the midterms loom, kind of

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., hold a press conference with Holton-Arms alumnae in support of Christine Blasey Ford in the Hart Senate Office Building on Thursday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., hold a press conference with Holton-Arms alumnae in support of Christine Blasey Ford in the Hart Senate Office Building on Thursday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

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The Uncertainty Principle

After what seems like a nonstop election cycle since Nov. 9, 2016, with several special elections since then and a president that never seems to tire of political events, it’s safe to say even politics junkies are looking forward to Nov. 6, the day of the congressional midterms. Except … it might not even be over then, according to Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales, who says the number of close House races and likely runoffs might preclude us from knowing who will be in control of Congress for maybe weeks to come. Thanks, Nathan. 

Minnesota? Nice

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 15: Dan Feehan, Democratic candidate for Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, and his wife, Amy, sample Latin American food at the Multi-Cultural Fiesta in St. James, Minn., on September 15, 2018. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Dan Feehan, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee in Minnesota’s 1st District, and his wife, Amy, sample Latin American food at the Multicultural Fiesta in St. James, Minn., on Sept. 15. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Just because we might not know all the results on election night doesn’t mean we’re not covering the heck out of said races. Case in point is Roll Call’s own Simone Pathé and Tom Williams, who are in Minnesota reporting on the state that has become the center of the political universe with competitive House races, two Senate races, a governor’s race, a partridge in a pear tree …

He Might Say, She Might Say

Buttons worn in support of Dr. Ford harken back to similar pins worn in to show support for Anita Hill in 1991. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Buttons worn in support of Christine Blasey Ford harken back to similar pins worn to show support for Anita Hill in 1991. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

It’s been somewhat of a challenge to figure out exactly what might happen on Monday, when we kinda, sorta might be expected to see some kind of public Senate Judiciary hearing that will feature testimony by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman who has accused him of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford. After days of back and forth, and with Senate Republicans eagerly waiting to push the button on a confirmation vote, all eyes, ears and Twitter accounts are trained to what comes next in the high court battle royale. 

This Week’s Podcast

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Speaking of Kavanaugh and the high court, in the latest Political Theater Podcast, CQ Roll Call’s Todd Ruger and Kate Ackley and I discussed where we go from here, after what will go down as one of the nastiest confirmation fights of all time? Is this as good as we can expect? Or is there some way to back away from the precipice? Have a listen:

The Kicker

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 18: Capitol workers try to fix a mechanical issue on one of the Russell Senate subway cars on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Capitol workers try to fix a mechanical issue on one of the Russell Senate subway cars on Tuesday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

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