Last month the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of Debo Adegbile to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The vote broke along party lines, 10-to-8. Over the weekend Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania became the first Democrat to oppose Adegbile. “I will not vote to confirm the nominee,” he said. A cloture vote scheduled for Monday has (because of the snowstorm) been postponed to Wednesday. With Casey’s announcement, Adegbile can no longer be assured that Democratic senators will uniformly support him. Indeed, the question now is whether other Democrats will follow Casey’s lead. It would take six Democrats including Casey to vote against and defeat the nomination.  

What other Democrats might decide to vote no? Most likely would be any of the seven from red-states: Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, John Walsh and Jon Tester of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska, and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. All but Manchin and Tester are up for relection this fall.