Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday dubbed the Senate midterm elections “Kavanaugh’s Revenge.”
Mr. Graham, who fierce defended Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh during a grueling confirmation, said red state Senate Democrats paid heavily for mistreating President Trump’s nominee.
“Virtually all Senate Democrats running in Trump states who voted against Brett Kavanaugh were defeated. Their constituents held them responsible for being part of a despicable smear campaign orchestrated by the left,” said Mr. Graham, who is poised to become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee next year.
The confirmation fight energized Mr. Trump’s base and helped oust incumbent Democrats in key Senate races, including Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota.
It resulted in Republicans expanding their Senate majority, even as Democrats took control of the House.
“These [Senate] Democrats showed more allegiance to the left than to their constituents who support qualified, conservative judges like Brett Kavanaugh,” said Mr. Graham, South Carolina Republican. “Their votes against Kavanaugh crystallized how out of touch they had become on major issues in the eyes of their constituents who supported President Trump.”
He continued: “Liberal Democratic Senators and activists efforts to destroy Brett Kavanaugh ended up destroying Red State Democrats. Hopefully this resounding rejection of the Kavanaugh smear campaign by voters will make it less likely that this will occur again in the future.”
Mr. Graham noted that the lone Senate Democrat who voted to confirm Justice Kavanaugh — West Virginia’s Joe Manchin — won re-election by 3 points.
“I’m confident that if he had voted no, he would have lost his race, too,” Mr. Graham said.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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