The Democrats just keep getting disappointing Supreme Court news. Before the dust had settled on a series of significant rulings last week, “swing vote” Justice Anthony Kennedy announced that he was retiring effective July 31, handing Donald Trump his second Supreme Court pick in a year and a half. The Democrats have responded to that devastating news by vowing to somehow, some way, block the vote until after the midterms.
In yet more bad news for the resistance, however, a new NBC News/Survey Monkey poll found that a strong majority of Americans aren’t with the Democrats on the issue.
In a result that NBC admits “undercut[s] the Democratic argument” that the vote should be delayed until after the midterm elections, greater than six in 10 Americans (62%) say the Senate should vote on Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court before the elections. Only a third (33%) believe the Senate should wait to confirm or reject the candidate until after the elections.
An overwhelming majority of Republicans (85%) and a strong majority of Independents (61%) believe the vote should take place before the midterms, while a majority (55%) of Democrats say the vote should wait.
NBC also asked Americans how much Trump’s nominee would factor into their midterm votes: A majority of both Democrats (66%) and Republicans (60%) say it would be an important factor, while only 46% of Independents say it would influence their vote.
As for the political and ideological leanings of Kennedy’s replacement, majorities of both Democrats (53%) and Independents (65%) say they want a “moderate,” while 65% of Republicans want a “conservative.” NBC underscores that a solid majority (61%) want a new justice that would uphold Roe v. Wade.
Related: Report: Trump Narrows SCOTUS Pick To Two Judges. Here’s What You Need To Know About Them.