Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill is behind in the polls this week after announcing her opposition to U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
A pro-abortion Democrat, McCaskill is considered one of the most vulnerable senators running for re-election in the November midterms, Townhall reports. She was considered a swing vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation until she announced her opposition last week.
Now, McCaskill is falling behind her opponent, pro-life Republican Josh Hawley, in the polls. The Federalist reports a new poll by Remington Research Group found Hawley had a 2-point lead over McCaskill late last week.
According to the report, “… of the 1,555 likely Missouri voters surveyed late last week, 48% said they were planning to vote for Republican candidate Josh Hawley while 46% said they planned to vote for McCaskill.”
In addition, 49 percent of voters polled said they were less likely to vote for McCaskill because of Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. In contrast, 42 percent said they were more likely to vote for her.
Here’s more from the report:
The incumbent Democrat is in a hotly contested race, and support for Hawley has been surging in the polls over the past month. The Real Clear Politics poll average puts Hawley ahead of McCaskill by one point and shows that the race has grown increasingly competitive going into November.
Democrats in competitive races will have to grapple with the electoral consequences of either supporting or opposing the embattled Supreme Court nominee. A new poll in West Virginia, where Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin has been fighting for re-election, found that a majority of voters think Kavanaugh should be confirmed. An overwhelming majority, 59-30 percent, thought Kavanaugh’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday was more believable than testimony from Christine Blasey Ford.
Voters still are waiting to hear from U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Joe Manchin of West Virginia about their position on Kavanaugh. Manchin, a Democrat who sometimes votes pro-life, also is up for re-election in a conservative state.
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Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, another possible swing vote, recently announced his opposition to Kavanaugh – a move that one Indiana newspaper called a “cause for concern.” Polls indicate he and his pro-life Republican opponent, Mike Braun, also are very close.
Abortion activists fear Kavanaugh, who has served on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for D.C. for more than a decade. He has an extensive record of protecting religious liberty, including in the Priests for Life case, and enforcing restrictions on abortion. Pro-life leaders believe he would do the same on the Supreme Court.
