Voters believe Christine Blasey Ford over Brett Kavanaugh, poll finds

The Senate will soon decide whether to confirm nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. If lawmakers are anywhere near as confused on the matter as the American people, it'll be a close vote.

Overall, 48 percent of voters say Kavanaugh should not be confirmed, while 42 percent say he should, a Quinnipiac University poll found. But the slight decrease in support compared to last month is drastically different across demographic groups.

While 55 percent of women oppose his confirmation, 37 percent support it. Men, on the other hand, support Kavanaugh's confirmation 49 percent to 40 percent — support jumps to 59 percent among white men. A slim majority of white voters, 51 percent, say Kavanaugh should be confirmed, while 81 percent of black voters and 65 percent of Hispanic voters say he should be rejected.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

President Trump ordered an FBI investigation into allegations from Christine Blasey Ford, who testified last week that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school in the 1980s. Most voters, 68 percent, say the investigation is a good idea before the Senate votes on Kavanaugh.

Given the choice, 48 percent believe Ford more than Kavanaugh, and 41 percent believe Kavanaugh more than Ford. Americans "overwhelmingly believe [Ford] is honest," said Quinnipiac assistant director Tim Malloy, but "there is a very sharp divide between men and women on credibility."

The poll was conducted Sept. 27-30, surveying 1,111 voters by phone. The margin of error is 3.7 percentage points. See more poll results at Quinnipiac University.