Pollster Mallory Newall said on Monday that public opinion over the Supreme Court is becoming increasingly partisan, referring to recent polling on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
“I think what these poll numbers tell us is that Supreme Court nominations in recent years have become increasingly partisan,” Newall, research director at Ipsos Public Affairs, told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.”
“When I see those numbers, I have to believe that there’s a split right down the middle with Democrats saying ‘no he should not be confirmed’ and an overwhelming number of Republicans saying ‘yes,'” she continued.
Newall was referring to a CNN poll released earlier this month, which found that 40 percent of Americans said he should be confirmed, while 36 percent said they were opposed.
The poll was released before university professor Christine Blasey Ford went public with sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh.
Ford went public with her accusation against Kavanaugh in an interview with The Washington Post on Sunday.
She told the Post that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and forced himself on her when the two were attending neighboring high schools in Montgomery County, Md.
HarrisX Poll CEO Dritan Nesho told Concha that the allegations against Kavanaugh could have an impact on the public’s view of him, at least in the short term.
“Public opinion wasn’t settled on the question of Kavanaugh’s appointment. Really what’s at issue here is the court tilting to the right for a generation or more,” Nesho said.
“So this [news] will definitely impact the numbers in the short term. In the long term, the verdict is out,” he added.
— Julia Manchester
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