Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told social conservatives to “keep the faith” that Judge Brett Kavanaugh will be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court

Speaking at the annual Values Voter summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, the Kentucky Republican was bullish despite President Donald Trump's nominee facing allegations of attempted sexual assault.

"You’ve watched the fight, you’ve watched the tactics," McConnell said. "But here’s what I want to tell you: in the very near future, Judge Kavanaugh will be on the United States Supreme Court."

"So my friends, keep the faith and don’t get rattled by all of this. We’re going to plow right through it and do our job."

Background:McConnell slams Democrats for '11th hour' leak of Kavanaugh allegation

Read this:Poll: Brett Kavanaugh faces unprecedented opposition to Supreme Court confirmation

Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor, came forward this week with claims that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her during a high school party in the summer of 1982. She detailed the incident in a private letter this summer to her congresswoman that was then sent to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, of California, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Kavanaugh has vehemently denied Ford's allegations in a statement released through the White House. But the claims have stalled his nomination to the Supreme Court, which is a primary reason social conservatives like the ones assembled at the values summit supported Trump's presidential campaign.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa set Friday as the deadline for Ford to let his panel know if she is willing to testify on Monday.

Ford's attorney told the committee’s staff that her client is willing to talk to senators but that the deadlines imposed by Senate Republicans can’t be accommodated. She has also called on an FBI investigation to look into her allegations against Kavanaugh.

"She wishes to testify, provided that we can agree on terms that are fair and which ensure her safety,” Ford’s lawyer said in an email first reported by The New York Times.

More:GOP Judiciary Committee gives counteroffer to Ford to testify

More:McConnell blasts Democrats over Kavanaugh accusations, Paul stays silent

Critics have said the committee needs to force the testimony of Kavanaugh's high school friend, Mark Judge, who Ford has said was there during the incident. Judge told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he has no memory of the alleged assault by Kavanaugh and does not want to testify, according to USA TODAY.

McConnell did not mention Ford, the allegations or the committee hearing during his roughly 20-minute speech at the summit. Instead, his focus stayed on how successful conservatives have been at transforming the judiciary.

As the most powerful man in the Senate, Kentucky's senior senator has spearheaded dozens of Trump appointments at a breathtaking pace. Kavanaugh is a key piece of that puzzle for McConnell’s legacy after he infamously blocked former President Barack Obama from filling a vacancy on the high court in 2016.

McConnell said with a tiny 51-49 majority that was the most consequential decision he made. He said if Republicans hold onto the Senate for another two years it can transform the courts with pro-family and pro-growth judges.

“If you want to have a longtime impact on what kind of country we’re going to have for the next generation the single most consequential thing we can do is these lifetime appointment of men and women to the court who believe that the job of a judge is to follow the law,” McConnell said.

McConnell described Kavanaugh as a "stunning individual" to the crowd, which represents one of the top gatherings for social conservatives in the country. He said the challenge for the activist assembled at the summit is to wait out the obstruction.

"We’re not going to get rattled by all of this and I don’t want you to get rattled by it," he said. "We’re not going to slow down."

Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky’s junior senator, told a Bowling Green TV station Thursday that he remains supportive of the nominee.

“He’s been married for 25 years, he’s a good husband, he’s a good father, he’s been a judge for 12 years,” the Republican told the WBKO. “… I think it’s a problem to discount so much of his entire life based on an accusation from 36 years ago.”

Paul's office has not responded to a series of questions from the Courier Journal throughout the week requesting comment, including if he believes an FBI investigation is warranted.

The comments from Kentucky's two senators comes as a survey shows most Americans oppose Kavanaugh and that there could be a political backlash if he is appointed.

A USA TODAY/Ipsos Public Affairs Poll released Friday shows 40 percent of the people surveyed say the Senate shouldn't vote to approve the nomination, compared to 31 percent who say they should. It's the first time a plurality of Americans have opposed a Supreme Court nominee since polling on the issue began.

The online poll of about 1,008 adults, which has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 points, was taken Wednesday and Thursday.

As expected, there is a white hot partisan split on an appointment that could shift the Supreme Court to the right on a number of issues.

Just 9 percent of Democrats support his confirmation, compared with 70 percent of Republicans. But Kavanaugh is losing ground among independent voters, according to the poll, who oppose him by a 43 to 24 percent margin.

There is also a large gender gap with 35 percent of women believing Ford’s allegations versus 21 percent not believing they are true; men side with Kavanaugh’s denial by nine percentage points, 37 percent to 28 percent.

Women oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation by 20 points, 43 percent to 23 percent; men support him by four points, 40 percent to 36 percent.

Reporter Darcy Costello contributed to this report. Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/philb.