-Source-USAToday-
A handful of moderate senators will likely determine the fate of President Trump’s next Supreme Court nominee, and they’re already in the hot seat as advocacy groups on the right and left prepare for a pitched confirmation battle.
Trump is poised to name his choice to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday, though there are signals it could come sooner. No matter who Trump chooses, the confirmation vote will be close because Republicans hold a narrow 51-to-49 margin in the Senate.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been absent while battling brain cancer, leaving the GOP majority almost no room for defections — unless a few Democrats break with their party and support Trump’s pick. Three Democrats voted with Senate Republicans last year to confirm Trump's first Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he wants to move quickly on the nomination and hold a Senate floor vote this fall, before the midterm elections.
There are at least five senators to watch as the skirmishing starts – two Republicans and three Democrats – with abortion a central issue in deliberations on both sides.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine
Collins is the most moderate Republican in the Senate, and she's been the most outspoken Republican so far about the pending Supreme Court vacancy. An abortion rights supporter, Collins has said she would have deep misgivings about a nominee who opposes Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion. Read more
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