Only a tiny percentage of the public believes Sonia Sotomayor is a racist, according to a new Research 2000 poll conducted for Daily Kos.
8% of respondents said Sotomayor was a racist, compared with 61% who said she was not.
Of course, the “racist” meme never developed much mainstream traction. John Cornyn has criticized the charge, and Newt Gingrich sort of apologized for his part in the uproar.
Moreover, a majority of respondents, 52%, agreed that “empathy is an important characteristic” for SCOTUS pick. 29% said no.
All in all, 56% have a favorable impression of Sotomayor (including 82% of Latinos), and 29% have an unfavorable opinion.
The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2%.