Women's Opposition To Trump's SCOTUS Pick Is Downright Overwhelming, This New Poll Says

It looks like Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee is receiving a remarkably low reception from voters across the country — with one group especially leaning away from him. According to a new CNN poll, Brett Kavanaugh has little support among women, with “fewer than three in 10 [women] say Kavanaugh ought to be confirmed.” CNN reported that the last time a judicial nominee was so infamous was when former President Ronald Reagan nominated Robert Bork in 1987.

The CNN poll asked participants to respond to the question: “As you may know, Brett Kavanaugh is the federal judge nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. Would you like to see the Senate vote in favor of Kavanaugh serving on the Supreme Court, or not?”

Participants who were polled between Aug. 9 and Aug. 12 responded with 40 percent against the notion, 37 percent in favor of it, and 22 percent expressing “no opinion.” According to the gender breakdown to that question, 47 percent men supported confirming Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court — but only 28 percent women did the same. Among races, 44 percent of white Americans supported voting for Kavanaugh while only 25 percent of “non-white” voters said the same. The CNN poll did not specify which racial groups made up the “non-white” group.

The poll goes on to ask another question rooted in Kavanaugh’s stances on policy issues. The CNN poll asked participants, “Based on what you have heard or read about him, do you think Brett Kavanaugh's views on important issues are in the mainstream, or do you think they are too extreme?” In response to this query, 42 percent said that Kavanaugh’s views were in the mainstream, 35 percent said they were “too extreme,” while 23 percent gave no answer.

And opinions varied among different age groups, too. There was no data available regarding the opinion on Kavanaugh from those between the age of 18-34. Meanwhile, 33 percent of people between the ages of 35-49 supported Kavanaugh and 41 percent of people between 50-64 years of age said the same. Support for Kavanaugh was highest among people above 65 years old, at 43 percent.

Naturally, different political groups had their views on Kavanaugh. Only 12 percent of polled Democrats supported Kavanaugh while 74 percent of polled Republicans said the same. Those who identified themselves as “independents” stood at 38 percent in terms of getting behind Kavanaugh.

Only 19 percent of liberals and 31 percent of moderates approved of Trump’s nominee. On the other hand, 62 percent of conservatives said yes to the Trump nominee.

Perhaps the most obvious reason why women appear to be against Kavanaugh's nomination and possible place in the Supreme Court is because of his worrisome record on women's access to abortion services. For instance, it doesn't help that, in 2017, Kavanaugh lauded former Chief Justice William Rehnquist's dissent against Roe v. Wade, going as far as calling him a "first judicial hero."

If polls help us understand where a people's pulse is, this CNN survey shows that Kavanaugh's impression among American women is impossible to work in his favor. But Kavanaugh enjoys strong support from Republicans in the Senate — and it's likely that he will be confirmed to the Supreme Court.