Blanche has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee, leaving only a full Senate floor vote between him and confirmation as the permanent Attorney General of the United States.
Republicans can afford to lose exactly two votes and still confirm Blanche, with Mitch McConnell absent from the Senate, making the math particularly tight for the GOP.
Democrats appear unified in opposition and are prepared to use every available procedural tool to slow the process, according to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Those procedural moves could drag the confirmation vote into the weekend, though they cannot stop it outright if 50 Republican senators hold the line.
Schumer has already framed his public case against the nominee, calling Blanche “the architect of Trump’s grifts” in what amounts to an early midterm rallying cry for Democrats.
Senator Lisa Murkowski described Blanche’s backing away from the Anti-Weaponization Fund as “a pretty good step” while stopping well short of committing her vote either way.
The Anti-Weaponization Fund was created by Blanche as part of a deal to drop Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.
Murkowski added that she would “like to find out a little bit more about the negotiations” and said she is “curious about what went on over the weekend,” noting she plans to speak with Senators Tillis and Cornyn first.
Senator Susan Collins similarly withheld her position, stating plainly: “Until I do that, I am not going to make a judgment,” referring to her intention to read the agreement before deciding.
Senator Bill Cassidy, who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger this year, declined to discuss Blanche at all, while Senator John Curtis of Utah has also not publicly committed to a vote.
Senator John Cornyn also lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger this year, putting him alongside Cassidy among senators navigating complicated political terrain heading into the vote.
Despite the cautious posturing from a handful of Republicans, the broader expectation among observers is that once Blanche cleared the committee, the rest of the Republican caucus would fall firmly into line.
The confirmation process now moves to the full Senate floor, where the pace and timing of the vote will likely depend on how aggressively Democrats choose to deploy their procedural options.