USA TODAY/Suffolk poll: There is a 'Kavanaugh effect,' and it boosts Democrats more than the GOP in midterms

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump calls Democrats 'an angry leftwing mob' President Donald Trump celebrated Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at a rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, as he seeks to boost Republican enthusiasm going into next month's midterm elections. Trump called the Democrats 'an angry leftwing mob.' (Oct. 9)

WASHINGTON – Brett Kavanaugh now sits on the Supreme Court, but the contentious battle over his nomination continues to reverberate in the run-up to next month's midterm elections.

A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds that more than six in 10 likely voters say Kavanaugh's confirmation after facing allegations of sexual assault makes them more likely to vote for one party or the other. Despite the conventional wisdom that the fight energized the GOP base, these voters are more likely to say it has spurred them to support Democrats.

Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor, testified in September before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh tried to rape her at a house party in suburban Maryland when both were in high school. In a combative response, Kavanaugh denied any wrongdoing.

The Senate then confirmed him 50-48, largely along party lines.

In the survey, 35 percent said Kavanaugh's confirmation made them more likely to vote for a Democratic congressional candidate and 27 percent said it made them more likely to vote for a Republican congressional candidate. Another 37 percent said it wouldn't affect their vote.

There was a gender difference: By 3 percentage points, men said it made them more likely to vote Democratic. By 12 points, women said it made them more likely to vote Democratic.

"Women have a place in our society, and we've been demeaned enough," said Gala Kline, 63, of Edon, a rural community in northwest Ohio. Kline, a political independent who finds herself opposing President Donald Trump, was among those called in the poll. She wondered how thoroughly Kavanaugh had been investigated, including for previous government appointments. "People say: 'He's been questioned. They've done all these background checks for years.' Did they ask the right question?"

But Wayne Bishop, 77, of Greenwood, S.C., said the attacks on Kavanaugh were part of a larger picture that was going to help Republicans retain control of the House and Senate. "I think people are getting mad at the super-liberals – the Kavanaugh thing, the immigration, all that kind of stuff," he said.

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The telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters Thursday through Monday has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Kavanaugh's confirmation was seen by some as a test of whether things had changed since 1991, when the Senate confirmed Clarence Thomas to the high court despite accusations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill. Some of the senators who voted for Kavanaugh noted that Ford's version of events wasn't backed up by corroborating witnesses. Some said they believed she had been attacked but not by Kavanaugh, though she said she was "100 percent" certain of her identification.

One-third of those surveyed, 33 percent, said Kavanaugh's confirmation made them "angry;" one-fourth, 26 percent, said they were "delighted." Just 6 percent said his confirmation "doesn't matter one way or the other."

Hard feelings remain: 45 percent say his addition to the Supreme Court is a "bad thing," higher than the 35 percent who say it is a "good thing."

Those surveyed, however, had a favorable impression of the Supreme Court, 55 percent to 25 percent – a more positive view than that of the president, Congress, the Republican and Democratic parties, and the news media.

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