Americans are more divided over Brett Kavanaugh than any other Supreme Court pick in recent history. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Poll: Voters fractured over Kavanaugh choice

Voters are sharply divided along party lines when it comes to Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.

Nearly three-quarters of Republicans — 71 percent — say the Senate should confirm Kavanaugh. On the other side of the aisle, only 17 percent of Democrats think lawmakers should give him the nod. Overall, 40 percent say the Senate should vote to approve him, and 28 percent say the Senate should vote against his confirmation. The poll, conducted July 13-14, surveyed 1,991 registered voters.


Americans are more divided over Kavanaugh than over any other Supreme Court pick in recent history. Fifty percent of Democrats surveyed said the Senate should not confirm Kavanaugh, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, while just 7 percent of Republicans said so.

One reason for the tension that Kavanaugh, who has a conservative judicial record, might tip the balance of the court if he replaces longtime swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy. And at 53 years old, he‘s positioned to sit on the court for a long time.

Voter sentiment surrounding Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that legalized abortion, is fueling some of the divisions. But a majority of voters overall say Roe v. Wade should be upheld.

“Broad support exists to uphold Roe v. Wade despite the polarizing nature of abortion policy,” said Tyler Sinclair, Morning Consult’s managing director. “Only 21 percent of voters say the Roe ruling should be overturned — including 10 percent of Democrats, 16 percent of independents and 40 percent of Republicans.”

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Fifty-nine percent of voters support Roe, according to the poll. Forty-two percent of Republicans believe Roe should remain the law — while 40 percent of GOP voters said it should not be upheld.

In terms of what should inform lawmakers’ decision-making on the Kavanaugh nomination, almost half of Americans said they want their senators to vote based on his qualifications for the job. Thirty-two percent of voters say lawmakers should instead vote on “their own political and social stances.”

The fight over Kavanaugh’s nomination is just heating up. GOP lawmakers say they aim to hold a confirmation hearing by early fall, before the midterm elections. Senators who oppose Kavanaugh’s appointment are digging in their heels and drawing parallels to 2016, when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court pick, Merrick Garland, from a hearing because it was a presidential election year.

Only 18 percent of Democrats think the Senate should hold a confirmation hearing before the midterms, while 69 percent of Republicans say the Senate should vote before November.

The poll also surveyed voters on Trump’s performance at the recent NATO Summit in Europe. Overall, 38 percent of voters said his performance was successful, while 36 percent gave him a negative review. Broken down by party, two-thirds of Republicans gave his performance a thumbs-up, while just 16 percent of Democrats said the same.

Morning Consult is a nonpartisan media and technology company that provides data-driven research and insights on politics, policy and business strategy.

More details on the poll and its methodology can be found in these two documents — Toplines: https://bit.ly/2uwoirv | Crosstabs: https://bit.ly/2NkE4g2