Susan Collins Announces Opposition to Todd Blanche - Here's What He'll Need to Be Confirmed

As RedState reported, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to advance the nomination of Todd Blanche for permanent DOJ Attorney General to the Senate floor.

The vote was taken after Blanche, who is the Acting Attorney General, won over GOP holdout Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) "after he rescinded the order setting up President Trump's $1.776 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund Sunday."

My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions. We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The… pic.twitter.com/U6hs15kw2D
— Acting AG Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) August 3, 2026

While Tillis and Cornyn no longer being obstacles was welcome news for both Blanche and President Trump, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) threw a potential wrench in things late Tuesday afternoon after announcing on X that she was opposing Blanche's nomination (emphasis hers):

I have carefully reviewed Todd Blanche’s qualifications to be Attorney General. This includes his record and responses to questions from Senators at the Department of Justice Appropriations hearing, his confirmation hearing, and in the weeks that followed.
While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political.
Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation:
Mr. Blanche approved an order to shield the President, his sons, and the family business from IRS audits, protections unavailable to other American taxpayers.
He approved the creation of a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
He promised an anti-abortion organization that he would seek to prohibit the mailing of abortion medication to women nationwide.
Under his leadership, the Department attempted to indict Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin over their ill-advised, but constitutionally protected, videos encouraging resistance to unlawful orders.
More than 1,200 former Department of Justice employees have opposed his nomination, arguing that he has undermined the institution.
For these reasons, I will vote against this nomination.

So what would need to happen for Blanche to be confirmed? Fox News' chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram did the math:

With GOP ME Sen Collins opposing Blanche for AG:
It’s about the math.
The Senate is effectively operating at 52 Republicans and 47 senators who caucus with the Democrats with the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
So with Collins’ opposition, and presuming that all Democrats are nays, that gets you to 51-48.
What we don’t know is if the decisions by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to support Blanche provides cover for other possible GOPers who may have reservations with Blanche. That includes Sens. John Curtis (R-UT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
If Blanche loses the support of one more (presuming everything is equal) the vote is 50-49. Remember, Vice President JD Vance CAN ONLY vote if it’s a tie.
So the nomination can only lose one more vote. An additional no vote from a GOPer blocks the nomination.
Keep in mind that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has been rather cryptic about the rest of the schedule this week.

CNN's Manu Raju tried to get answers from Murkowski and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who also may have reservations about Blanche, but they weren't talking:

With Susan Collins a NO on Todd Blanche, his nomination as AG hangs by a thread.
Lisa Murkowski just pointedly declined to comment to me just now when asked if she’d vote for Blanche.

Bill Cassidy earlier today wouldn’t comment to me either.

Blanche can only afford to lose two…
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 4, 2026