Senate Democrat efforts to derail judge Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment to the Supreme Court seem to have failed. According to a shock Gallup poll released Tuesday, more than half of Americans believe Barrett should be seated on the Court.
The poll takes a complete snapshot of Americans’ feelings on the subject; the poll was conducted over two weeks, stretching from Barrett’s nomination ceremony in the White House rose garden through the end of her testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. And although previous polls have demonstrated that a plurality of Americans believe Barrett is qualified and should take her seat on the Supreme Court, Gallup’s poll showed that a majority, 51%, now believe the same.
Support for Barrett, the poll found, outpaces support for either of President Donald Trump’s other two nominees, now-Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.
“Tuesday’s poll about Barret, the twelfth Supreme Court nominee for whom Gallup has measured support among the public since 1987, also found that support for Barrett’s confirmation is higher than either of Trump’s two previous nominees— Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh— had at any point in time prior to their confirmations,” The Hill noted.
Opposition to Barrett’s confirmation is still strong at 46%, and that opposition is particularly notable among Democrats, who see Barrett as a threat to certain Democratic legislative priorities, including abortion and health care — and very few individuals polled lacked a strong opinion on Barrett. Just 3% of those included in the survey had “no opinion” on whether Barrett should be confirmed.
The Hill seemed surprised by the poll, noting that “Gallup cited multiple possible explanations for the polling results, including the fact that the nomination process is occurring amidst a presidential election in which millions of voters have already cast their ballots.” The outlet also directly referenced the concerns of those opposed to Barrett’s confirmation, including that Republicans refused to confirm Merrick Garland in 2016, again just months before a presidential election — though at that time, the White House and Senate were controlled by opposing parties.
But Barrett may be responsible for her own polling success. Even The New York Times, which also released polling on the subject Tuesday, found that a plurality (44%) of those surveyed believe Barrett should be confirmed to the Supreme Court and 47% percent believe a vote on the matter should come before Election Day, regardless of Democratic opposition.
That poll contained dire news for Democrats, including that nearly 60% of respondents oppose packing the Court with additional Justices, even though Democrats have directly connected the idea of “court packing” to a larger concept of “fairness,” given the makeup of the court once Barrett is seated.
Blocking Barrett may be a lost cause for Democrats, regardless of popularity. Despite a series of procedural roadblocks introduced Monday night, the Senate was gaveled back into session on Tuesday, and a vote on Barrett’s confirmation is planned for the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. If the committee passes Barrett’s nomination to the Senate floor, as expected, the full Senate will debate the matter for approximately 30 hours before a final vote, expected next Tuesday.