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The Trump era has at times been uncomfortable for Republican women, especially for the six senators who will be asked to vote for Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation by the weekend.
On Tuesday night (local time), President Donald Trump ridiculed Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses Kavanaugh of having sexually assaulted her in high school – an assertion refuted by Kavanaugh.
Recent polls show that a majority of women think the Senate should not confirm Kavanaugh. But Republican women, like GOP men, stick massively to the candidate.
Here is an overview of the situation of Republican women senators:
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BOTH REVIEWS
In the Senate, the wild national debate about power and who to believe was primarily a question of calculation. Two votes of the GOP against the confirmation of Kavanaugh sinks if each democrat votes no.
Two Republican Senators, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have been under tremendous pressure.
Neither said how she will vote. Everyone wants to see the results of the FBI's investigation.
Christine Blasey Ford spoke to a panel of the Senate of the man who wishes to be a judge at the US Supreme Court.
Source: 1 NEWS
Collins said on Wednesday that Trump was making fun of Ford "just wrong."
Murkowski added a few hours later: "I thought the president's remarks mocking Dr. Ford yesterday were totally inappropriate and, in my opinion, unacceptable."
None of the two senators can be re-elected this year.
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TWO ON THE BILLOT
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith rushed to vote on Wednesday when a woman shouted to her, "Do you believe in the survivors?"
Hyde-Smith did not answer. The Mississippi Republican, sworn in last April to occupy a seat that the GOP must keep, jumped into a Senate subway that promptly drove her to the Capitol.
But she leaves no doubt about her position on Kavanaugh. In her first speech to the Senate, she announced that it was her "duty" to support Kavanaugh. She took the time to go to the Trump rally Tuesday night in Southaven, Mississippi.
Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska is also campaigning for a second term in the Senate. The protesters shouted at him on the way home and out of the audience on Wednesday.
Fischer announced his intention to support Kavanaugh, but added: "We will see what the investigation brings, and get the vote."
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THE TWO OTHERS
The other two Republican senators said the victims should be heard, but they want Kavanaugh to be confirmed.
Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said that Ford's story had not been corroborated and that people had to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito said, as did Ford, a graduate of the Holton-Arms School, that she supported Kavanaugh.
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ON THE TRAIL OF THE CAMPAIGN
The Kavanaugh question followed some Republicans in Wednesday's election campaign.
Martha McSally, a survivor of a sexual assault herself, said the issues raised by Ford were "pretty personal". She is running for a Senate seat in Arizona against Democratic Representative Kyrsten Sinema.
McSally said that, if no further information emerged from the FBI's review, she would support Kavanaugh's confirmation. "Based on the information we have, we can not corroborate the allegations with other information," she said on Wednesday.
She added that she felt sympathy for Ford and that people needed to understand why victims of sexual assault remained silent for years. Asked about Trump's mockery in Mississippi, McSally replied, "I'd rather we all have some grace here."
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VOTE
The bad news for Republicans: Recent polls show that a majority of women do not think Kavanaugh should be confirmed. The good news: Republicans, women and men, hold the majority of candidates.
A survey conducted by Quinnipiac University in the days following the testimony of Ford and Kavanaugh showed that public opinion had begun to put pressure on Kavanaugh, with 48% of voters objecting to his confirmation and 42% in his favor. A September quinnipiac poll revealed an almost equal difference of opinion on the confirmation.
Women surveyed were much more likely than men to oppose Kavanaugh (55% to 40%). But 84 percent of Republicans said Kavanaugh should be confirmed.
Nearly 8 out of 10 Republicans said they approve of Trump's handling of the allegations in the new poll, which took place before Trump made fun of Ford at Tuesday night's rally.
About 6 in 10 said they approve of how Senate Republicans handle the situation. Among Republicans, men and women were about as likely to approve Trump and Republicans in the Senate.
