Brett Kavanaugh is one of the most unpopular SCOTUS nominees for the last four administrations, according to a new CNN poll. Women are especially unhappy with Kavanaugh's nomination:
Overall, 37% of Americans say they'd like to see the Senate vote in favor of his confirmation. Kavanaugh's support is the lowest in polling dating back to Robert Bork's nomination by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. That's lower support for Kavanaugh than similar public assessments of the unsuccessful nominations of Merrick Garland and Harriet Miers, as well as all successful nominees save David Souter, Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer, for whom equivalent data are not available. Slightly more, 40%, say the Senate should not vote to confirm Kavanaugh, while 22% have no opinion on the matter. And Americans' first impressions of the judge are mixed: 33% have a generally positive take, 27% neutral and 29% generally negative.
Republicans are broadly supportive of Kavanaugh: 74% would like to see him confirmed, while independents split 38% to 38% and Democrats largely oppose his nomination (67% say he should not be confirmed). Republicans and independents were each more supportive of Neil Gorsuch's confirmation in the first weeks of Trump's time in office (84% of Republicans and 47% of independents favored his confirmation).
Women, in particular, are notably opposed to Kavanaugh's nomination, and it's not just partisanship driving the difference. Just 28% of women say the Senate should vote in favor of confirming Kavanaugh, compared with 47% of men. That gender gap extends to Democrats (6% of Democratic women support confirmation vs. 22% of Democratic men), and independents (28% of women vs. 47% of men). There's a far smaller gap between GOP women (71%) and men (77%).