A new poll shows voters in Senate battleground states want to see President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee confirmed.
GOP pollster North Star Opinion Research found Judge Brett Kavanaugh has the support of a majority or plurality in three key states with Democratic incumbent senators running for re-election, Politico reports. Those senators are Joe Manchin (W.V.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), and the poll shows pressure to confirm Kavanaugh from Republicans and independents.
- West Virginia: 51 percent of respondents want Kavanaugh confirmed; 32 percent do not
- Indiana: 47 percent of respondents want Kavanaugh confirmed; 32 percent do not
- North Dakota: 60 percent of respondents want Kavanaugh confirmed; 23 percent do not
The poll surveyed 500 registered voters in each state, finding about equal support from Republicans and independents on the confirmation of Kavanaugh. The Judicial Crisis Network, which supports confirming Kavanaugh, commissioned the poll.
Responses from independents are about the same as the overall numbers: Kavanaugh has support from 53 percent of West Virginia independents, 50 percent of Indiana independents, and 60 percent of North Dakota independents. The poll was conducted over the phone and has a margin of error of 4.38 percent.
The Judicial Crisis Network’s chief counsel Carrie Severino said the levels of support for Kavanaugh in these states make it clear voters want an "independent-minded judge who will uphold the Constitution."
"Joe Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Donnelly have a decision to make: side with their constituents in confirming a highly qualified judge to the Supreme Court, or side with Chuck Schumer and the ultra-left wing of their party," said.
Manchin, Donnelly, and Heitkamp all voted for Trump’s previous nominee, Neil Gorsuch, who is now a justice on the Supreme Court.
A plurality of voters nationwide support Kavanaugh’s nomination, although it is a smaller margin than in the three right-leaning states polled. Quinnipiac’s August poll shows 44 percent of respondents support Kavanaugh’s nomination and 39 percent oppose, a slight improvement for the nominee from his July numbers.
Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing is set to begin on Sept. 4, despite Democrats’ renewed calls for it to be delayed. Some prominent Democratic senators have said they want to delay the confirmation to obtain more documents, and they have also used former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s guilty plea to justify putting it off until Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation concludes.
Update 2:39 pm: This posted was updated with Severino's comment.