One of few suspenseful aspects of the Alito confirmation end-game has been waiting for Rhode Island Senator Chafee to make up his mind. Normally, Chafee (the Senate’s most liberal Republican) could be counted on to vote against the conservative Alito, especially in an election year. But this year he faces a challenge in the Republican primary. Moreover, Italian-Americans are a huge factor in Rhode Island politics.
Chafee nonetheless has decided to vote against Alito. Alexander McClure at PoliPundit thinks Chafee has not calculated well, but I’m less sure.

One of few suspenseful aspects of the Alito confirmation end-game has been waiting for Rhode Island Senator Chafee to make up his mind. Normally, Chafee (the Senate’s most liberal Republican) could be counted on to vote against the conservative Alito, especially in an election year. But this year he faces a challenge in the Republican primary. Moreover, Italian-Americans are a huge factor in Rhode Island politics.
Chafee nonetheless has decided to vote against Alito. Alexander McClure at PoliPundit thinks Chafee has not calculated well, but I’m less sure.