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Protesters gathered in Senate office buildings Thursday to protest Republicans' treatment of the sexual assault charge against Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh. (September 20th)
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Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in for his confirmation hearings on September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo: Saul Loeb, AFP / Getty Images)

WASHINGTON – More and more Americans Oppose Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation in Supreme Court, New USA TODAY / Ipsos Public Affairs Poll finds an unprecedented level of disapproval for a high court candidate in the country.

Among the allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh, respondents said the Senate should not vote to approve his appointment, the first time that a plurality of Americans has opposed a candidate for the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, they are also inclined to believe that it will eventually be confirmed: only 11% predict that it will not do so; 45% say it will do it.

The results highlight the serious political stakes – and the potential for a return to mid-term elections in just over six weeks.

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Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Kavanaugh of attempted rape as high school students in suburban Maryland, said Thursday she would be willing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, but not on Monday when the panel proposed an audition. Kavanaugh accepted the committee's invitation Monday saying that he "categorically and unequivocally" denies the aggression.

More: Blasey Ford's conditions for the Senate's testimony, including the fact that he is not in the room

Beyond a fierce partisan split, the survey found a clear gender gap: double-digit women believe Ford's accusations range from 35% to 21%. Men, by nine percentage points, believe that Kavanaugh's denial is 37% to 28%.

These views are reflected in the question of whether it should be confirmed. Women oppose him by 20 points, 43% to 23%; men support him by four points, or 40% to 36%.

The online survey of approximately 1,008 adults, with a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 points, was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday.

"With the battle for confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh's conviction in the Supreme Court by charges of sexual assault and almost a year from the beginning of #MeToo, one would think that America would be divided according to the sex, "Cliff Young, president of Ipsos, said," We are, but our new poll shows that more than the genre, the party is the main engine from people's perspective on this fight, another sign of our tribal era.

Only 9% of Democrats support confirmation of Kavanaugh, against 70% of Republicans. Feelings are intense on both sides: 50% of Democrats oppose it "firmly"; 49% of Republicans support him "strongly". But he lost the support of the independents, who now oppose him by 2-1, 43% to 24%.

The results are consistent with a NBC / Wall Street Journal survey conducted earlier in the week, from Sunday to Wednesday, which showed that 38% were opposed to Kavanaugh's confirmation, with 34% supporting it. This is a reversal of the modest net support level it held in this survey in July and August.

Never before has a Supreme Court candidate faced more opposition than support in national polls. Even Harriet Myers – whose President George W. Bush finally withdrew the beleaguered nomination – maintained a level of net support when he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2005.

In the USA TODAY / Ipsos Poll, a large part of Americans do not yet have an opinion. Nearly one in four states follow events around the confirmation "not very closely" or "not at all". Nearly 3 in 10 say they do not know if Kavanaugh should be confirmed. More importantly, 40% of respondents say they do not know if they believe the charges against him.

This means that Senate hearings and the opportunity to hear Kavanaugh and Ford speak could have a huge impact on public opinion. "Senators can still shape this debate," said Young.

If the Senate Republicans insist on the appointment, the polls predict significant political repercussions. By a double-digit margin, from 47% to 26%, they think it will hurt the GOP's chance to retain a majority in the Senate in November. From 43% to 31%, they say that it will hurt President Donald Trump.

And by a margin slightly higher, from 42% to 27%, they predict that it will also harm the #MeToo movement.

More: Christine Blasey Ford ready to testify about Kavanaugh's allegations in "fair" terms

More: Death threats target the family of Brett Kavanaugh, a woman who has accused her of sexual assault

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