Why Republicans Romney, Murkowski, and Collins say they'll vote for Ketanji Brown Jackson

Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney will vote for Jackson.

Three Republican senators -- Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah -- have taken the political risk of breaking from their party to vote for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation to the Supreme Court this week, elevating the first Black woman to the nation's highest court in its 233-year history.

Democrats on Monday were able to advance Jackson's nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 53-47 vote, with the help of those three Republicans, putting President Joe Biden's nominee on a clear path to being confirmed later this week by the full Senate.

But it's unclear if they will face blowback from constituents or colleagues as they continue to explain their reasoning.

Collins was the first Republican to pledge her support to Jackson last week, after meeting twice with the nominee who she said alleviated her concerns. Murkowski and Romney's endorsements followed on Monday, to the relief of the Biden White House, which had pushed for a bipartisan vote.

Jackson left "quite an impression" on Murkowski during her Judiciary Committee hearings, where "she was put under some pretty, pretty intense scrutiny, and I think you saw grace under pressure there," Murkowski said.