A new poll shows that most Minnesotans do not believe the accusations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and actually approve of his confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.
According to an Oct. 24 MPR/Star Tribune poll, 49 percent of Minnesota respondents approve of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, compared to 43 percent who disapprove. Additionally, the poll found that 35 percent of likely Minnesota voters believe the sexual-assault accusations made against Kavanaugh, while 41 percent do not believe them.
The numbers, however, were slightly skewed among female respondents, most of whom believe the accusations and do not approve of Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
A similar poll conducted on the allegations against Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-05), however, found that most women still support him despite the domestic-abuse accusation from his ex-girlfriend. According to MPR, 46 percent of women preferred Ellison to Republican Doug Wardlow, though 21 percent were still undecided.
“More women than men believe the accusations against Kavanaugh. But more men than women believe the allegations against Ellison,” Managing Partner of APM Research Lab Craig Helmstetter told MPR.
“Overall, only seven percent of likely voters believe both allegations, and only 8 percent said they do not believe both,” he pointed out.
In the most recent round of polling, Wardlow had a seven-point advantage over Ellison, but the Democratic still led among female voters.
In total, 41 percent of likely Minnesota voters said Kavanaugh’s confirmation makes them “more likely” to vote for Democrats, while 39 percent said they plan to vote for Republicans. Fifty-two percent of respondents, however, said they believe Kavanaugh will be an “independent and impartial” voice on the Supreme Court, compared to 39 percent who said he will not.
The poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling for MPR and The Star Tribune, surveyed 800 likely voters, with 38 percent identifying as Democrats and 33 percent affiliating with the Republican Party.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
