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A final vote of confirmation is expected Saturday.
Sens Republicans Jeff Flake and Susan Collins supported the motion, as did Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who was undecided. Senator GOP Lisa Murkowski voted no.
Senator Susan Collins, who may vote on Brett Kavanaugh's candidacy for the Supreme Court, will stand alongside her Republican colleagues in a critical vote Friday morning, she said Friday.
The Senate is scheduled to proceed to a procedural vote at 10:30 am ET on Friday to end the debate on the nomination. If a simple majority of the upper house votes in favor, the Senate may proceed to the final confirmation vote on Saturday. If the vote fails, this is a major blow to the candidacy and casts serious doubt on the possibility of confirmation.
Republicans woke up on Friday without the 50 votes needed to advance Kavanaugh's nomination, CNN told people with first-hand knowledge of the situation, although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his deputies hoped to get there before the vote. .
On Friday morning, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia told reporters that he still had not made a decision.
Manchin, going to the secure room to view the FBI's basic report, said he was "still undecided" and "will probably remain undecided until I walk through the door" to vote.
Collins added that she would announce her final decision on Kavanaugh's confirmation at 3 pm. And Friday.
The investigation took place at Flake's request, following the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. Ford alleged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her at a high school social gathering in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh, in her own testimony, denied the allegation and argued that supporters were conducting a defamation campaign against him.
Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota on Thursday voted against a highly guarded election vote, which referred to Ford's testimony to explain his decision.
"Countless North Dakota and others close to me contacted me and told me about their story of rape or sexual assault – and expressed the same anguish and the same fear.I am also impressed by their courage "statement.
Daines plans to attend a wedding
Adding another potential issue in the calendar, the Senate was due out on Monday for Columbus Day.
Republicans can only lose one GOP vote if all Democrats vote against the nomination.
If at least 50 senators vote in favor of the nomination Friday, Vice President Mike Pence can step in to break the tie and the Senate can proceed to a final vote on Saturday.
Daines made it clear that he would not be present if there was a vote Saturday before the GOP leaders earlier this week, a source said. Leaders will determine how to fix it based on Friday's closing vote.
If they have enough votes to proceed with the nomination on Friday and they have 50 votes without Saturday, they will vote. If they do not, it will be delayed.
Daines said Thursday that GOP leaders could be forced to keep the confirmation vote overnight as he returns to Washington from his home country, Montana, where his daughter is getting married on Saturday.
"I'll be back after the wedding," he told CNN. "It will probably be early in the morning," said Daines, suggesting that he would not be returning until Sunday morning. "We take one day at a time to see what happens."
Senate Republicans expressed optimism on Thursday after reviewing the results of an FBI investigation into the charges against him that there was no corroboration of the charges against him.
"I will be proud to vote to advance this nomination tomorrow," McConnell told the Senate on Thursday.
Democrats protested against the way Republicans treated the FBI's candidacy and investigation, claiming that the parameters of the investigation were unduly limited.
CNN's Phil Mattingly, Dana Bash, Manu Raju, Ted Barrett, Ashley Killough, Gloria Borger and Dan Berman contributed to this report.
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