Kavanaugh Fight Puts Vulnerable Senators In A Tight Spot

Activists from Concerned Women for America make a stop on their bus tour in Indianapolis, Ind., where Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly is facing pressure from the right as he prepares to vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh just weeks before Election Day.

Sarah McCammon / NPR

Updated at 9:57 a.m. ET

It’s not every midterm election year that a Supreme Court seat is vacant — much less the court’s swing vote — and the senators whose re-election bids could swing control of the U.S. Senate next year are well aware.

Indiana Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly is running to hold on to his seat in a state President Trump won by nearly 20 points. He and another vulnerable Democrat, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, are meeting with President Trump’s nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, on Wednesday.