TO CLOSE

Actress and actress Amy Schumer was arrested after protesting Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh.
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Mary Schartman sings at the #Cancel Kavanaugh event Invite #MeToo to participate in the street protest in Cincinnati. (Photo: ALBERT CESARE, Cincinnati Enquirer via the USA TODAY network)

WASHINGTON – Protesters against Justice Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court maintain public pressure one day after the arrests, which included comedian Amy Schumer and model Emily Ratajkowski.

Senators split Friday morning voted 51 to 51 to advance Kavanaugh's candidacy and hold a final vote this weekend. Attention has remained focused on a small number of key senators: Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Democrat Joe Manchin of Virginia. West. Murkowski, Friday morning, was the only one of those four to vote against the procedural decision providing for the final vote.

A dozen protesters gathered in Collins' office during the morning closing vote, hoping to convince her of "no". Collins plans to announce his Kavanaugh decision this afternoon.

"We are really trying to maintain our presence here," said Tatiana Seryan, 41, from New York but protesting in Washington for more than a month. "I hope that she will do the right thing. I think the next step will be left to the American people and the rage that he feels. "

Collins' closing assertion did not necessarily hurt the hopes of the protesters: former Senator John McCain voted in favor of the fence when repealing the Affordable Care Act of last year but finally voted against the bill.

Democratic Senator Kamala Harris urged voters to keep up the pressure. "There are 30 hours left before the final vote on Justice Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court, do not stop calling your senators and tell them to vote NO, keep fighting," she said. Twitter.

While protesters from Maine, Alaska, Arizona and West Virginia wait for the final result, some visitors to North Dakota were delighted with their senator, Heidi Heitkamp – who must do facing a run for reelection – announced that she would vote no to confirm Kavanaugh.

More: GOP publishes summary of FBI report on Kavanaugh: "No corroboration of allegations"

Friday morning in front of the Capitol, a group of protesters deployed a huge banner bearing the inscription "#StopKavanaugh". President Donald Trump said the protesters were paid to be there, citing evidence that seemed too professional.

"I think we've regressed," said Michelle Garvin, 62, of Crescent City, California. "And when I look at it, it's like, maybe I'm going to come here and nothing will change, but they have to know that people are always concerned."

Garvin remembers attending Anita Hill's hearings in 1991 and she does not know if the country has progressed since. But Garvin felt compelled to protest on behalf of his children and grandchildren. Hill in 1991, Clarence Thomas, her boss, was charged with sexual harassment during her confirmation hearings before the Supreme Court.

"I brought them into this world," said Garvin of his family. "If I did not do anything, I could not even look them in the eyes."

Dozens of protesters also gathered Friday in the Hart Senate building, where more than 300 protesters were arrested on Thursday. Policemen patrolled the atrium, armed with plastic handcuffs that they usually use during mass arrests.

More: Brett Kavanaugh says he regrets the "high-pitched" tone pronounced during the hearing before the Senate and promises to be "impartial"

Schumer and Ratajkowski were unapologetic about their arrests. Ratajkowski said via Twitter that she thought the advancement of Kavanaugh's appointment to the Senate was a sign that women were of no importance.

"I was arrested in protest at the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, a man accused of sexual assault by several women," said the model on Thursday, accompanied by a photo of her walk with a group of women in front of the Capitol. She wore a sign that said, "Respect the feminine existence or wait for our resistance."

Kari Kerr, 47, and Laura Frisch, 44, both came from Grand Forks, North Dakota, to pressure Heitkamp. They were delighted when she then announced her opposition.

"We knew that she was facing a very tough battle for her place," Kerr said Friday. "Her decision to say no … she was not taken lightly." Both plan to vote for Heitkamp in November.

Democrat Manchin could also be critical, while President Donald Trump was elected in 2016 and he faces tough reelection at mid-term. If two of the undecided Republican senators voted against Kavanaugh, but Manchin voted for him, it would also give a tie and give the deciding vote to Vice President Mike Pence.

Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines will attend his daughter's wedding on Saturday, making it difficult to get enough votes for Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., May decide to postpone the vote last Saturday if he feels he needs the vote in Daines.

The Friday morning vote officially gave the Senate 30 hours to debate the nomination.

The 30 hours are divided equally between Republicans and Democrats, although it might take less time if one or the other party decided not to use all the time it had allotted . After this debate, the entire Senate would then vote to either confirm or reject Kavanaugh.

In a tweet, the president said George Soros "and others" were financing the protests.

"The very rude elevator screamers are paid professionals who only want to give the senators a bad time, do not fall into the trap!" Look also at all the identical panels made by professionals, paid by Soros and d & # 39; others, "tweeted Trump. "These are not signs made in the basement for love! #Troublemakers."

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