But several House Republican women told POLITICO they didn’t even watch the hearing, saying they were busy conducting their official duties.
“I was in committee most of the day,” said GOP Rep. Kristi Noem, who is running for governor in South Dakota. Asked if she planned to watch the hearing eventually, she answered, “Probably.”
Some female Republican lawmakers have sought to avoid the issue entirely, caught between their Trump-loving base and female voters who could turn on them. Rep. Martha McSally, a House Republican running for Senate in Arizona whose track coach she said sexually abused her in high school, has issued vague statements about the Kavanaugh matter that avoid taking a position.
On Friday, the Arizona Republican’s campaign released an anodyne statement on basic civics: “[U]nder the Constitution, the Senate’s role is to provide advice and consent on this nomination, and to seek the truth,” it read. “I encourage [senators] to use the next week to gather any additional relevant facts, and then act on this nomination.”
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