As she faces a crush of ads urging her to reject the Supreme Court nominee for his conservative stance on abortion rights, Collins sounds increasingly positive on Kavanaugh’s nomination. She refuses to say she’s even leaning in favor of Kavanaugh, but on topics from health care to abortion to the special counsel the nominee placated her with his answers.

“He is clearly well-credentialed, has appropriate experience, is thoughtful in his approach to the issues, emphasized his belief in an independent judiciary, underscored his commitment to stare decisis,” Collins said in a 25-minute interview in her office late Tuesday. “I’m just not — I want to make sure I have the benefit of the hearings before reaching a decision.”

Collins’s relative warmth toward Kavanaugh has Republicans on the precipice of confirming the Supreme Court nominee before the 2018 midterm elections.