Christine Ford and Brett Kavanaugh hearings have made country MORE divided on whether he should be on the Supreme Court, poll finds
- There is a stark male-female split on the contentious nomination
- Yawning gap between Republicans and Democrats
- 37 per cent favor a vote against compared to 35 per cent who want him confirmed
- Both categories have increased as more Americans get off the fence
- Kavanaugh issued an impassioned denial of sexual assault following Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony last week
The heated Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that featured dueling testimony by Brett Kavanaugh and accuser Christine Blasey Ford has fueled even sharper divisions among voters.
The last week has seen Americans jumping off the fence to register their views, with the number opposing Kavanaugh now surpassing those who want him to get confirmed in a CBS News poll.
Those opposing his nomination hit 37 per cent, up from 30 per cent a week ago. Kavanaugh’s level of support simultaneously jumped, though not by as much. It rose to 35 per cent from 32 per cent.
The number of Americans both supporting and opposing Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court increased compared to last week rose as they got off the fence following a party clash over his confirmation
The number saying it was too soon to weigh in dropped by 10 points, from 38 to 28 per cent, following wall-to-wall coverage of the hearing.
As Kavanaugh moved from rhetoric pledging to be an umpire on the court to launching a partisan attack on Democrats and accusing them of acting in part as revenge for the Clintons (Kavanaugh worked for special counsel Kenneth Starr during the Bill Clinton impeachment), Democrats have been moving to oppose him.
Christine Blasey Ford answers questions at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, September 27, 2018 on Capitol Hill where she stood by her allegations of sexual assault
Kavanaugh and Sen. Lindsey Graham were among those blasting Democrats, while Democrats interrogated the Supreme Court nominee
President Donald Trump is calling for the Senate to confirm Kavanaugh without delay
Democratic opposition jumped from 60 to 68 per cent, while GOP support leapt from 69 per cent to 75 per cent. Independents favor confirmation by 37 to 32 per cent.
At last week’s hearing, Ford said she was ‘100 per cent’ confident of her allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh, while Kavanaugh’s denial was also total.
More men, 41 per cent, favor confirmation than women do, 29 per cent overall. The data point comes amid warnings that the Senate GOP’s push for Kavanaugh could cost the party among suburban women, which could further hinder the party’s chance of keeping the House.
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