Kavanaugh has Democrats more energized about voting than Republicans

Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation isn't what Democrats wanted — but it might be what they need.

After the Senate's vote to confirm the controversial nominee, Democratic voters have grown more enthusiastic about midterm voting than Republicans, a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday found. Before Kavanaugh got a seat on the court, several polls were finding the opposite.

As the 2018 midterms approached, pundits and polls suggested Democrats would turn the election into a referendum on President Trump. But just a week ago, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found GOP enthusiasm had caught up to Democratic levels. Some even speculated anger over Democrats' treatment of Kavanaugh would spur GOP voters even more.

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Now, with Kavanaugh on the bench, Democrats seem to be the angry ones. As of Sunday, 77 percent of Democrats say they are "very motivated" to vote this fall, while 68 percent of Republicans said the same, the Politico/Morning Consult poll showed. A CNN/SSRS survey released Tuesday showed similar results.

The Politico/Morning Consult poll also found 48 percent of Americans would vote for a Democrat if their congressional election were held today, while just 38 percent would elect a Republican. That's the largest portion of Democratic backers the same poll has found since January 2017, revealing more good omens for Democrats this November.

Politico/Morning Consult conducted its online survey of 2,189 registered voters on Sunday with a 2 percent margin of error.