Poll: WV Voters Back Senate Confirming Kavanaugh to SCOTUS

The majority of West Virginia voters support the Senate confirming Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh in a new poll.

Key results in the Public Opinion Strategies poll conducted on behalf of the Judicial Crisis Network:

• 58 percent of voters in the state back the Senate voting Kavanaugh onto the nation's highest court, while 28 percent said the opposite.
• 81 percent of Republicans, 59 percent of independents, and 42 percent of Democrats support Kavanaugh's confirmation.
• 65 percent of men and 52 percent of women would like the Senate to approve Kavanaugh.
• 60 percent said Kavanaugh's claims that he did not sexually assault Christine Blasey Ford are believable. 37 percent said Ford's story that Kavanaugh assaulted her 36 years ago is believable.
• 59 percent said they believe Kavanaugh more than they believe Ford, while 30 percent said the opposite.

Kavanaugh and Ford appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday to answer questions about the alleged assault. Friday afternoon, the panel advanced Kavanaugh's nomination to a Senate floor vote — which may be delayed by up to a week for an FBI probe to take place, an agreement struck between Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Democrats on the committee in exchange for his yes vote on Kavanaugh.

The poll results are telling because Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., remains on the fence about whether he will vote for Kavanaugh. If every Democrat votes against Kavanaugh on the Senate floor, Republicans can only afford to lose one vote to have him confirmed.

"Joe Manchin has a choice: stand with Chuck Schumer and his smear campaign or stand with the people of West Virginia, who overwhelmingly support President Trump's extraordinarily qualified nominee Brett Kavanaugh," Judicial Crisis Network's Chief Counsel and Policy Director Carrie Severino said.

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