Republicans and Democrats differ on when Scalia's replacement should be nominated, but the GOP's tough line hasn't improved McConnell's standing among Republicans
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death marked the beginning of the battle for his replacement, and partisan differences have emerged quickly. The country wants to see a new justice appointed by Barack Obama – but the margin is not wide, and the partisan divisions are clear. In the most recent Economist/YouGov Poll, 47% say they want the President to make an appointment now before the November election, while 38% think any appointment should wait until after the presidential election.
The party divisions are clear: three in four Democrats but fewer than one in five Republicans want an Obama nomination. Independents narrowly favor seeing a nomination put forward.
The Justice is being remembered positively by Americans, though again there is a partisan divide. Last July, the country was evenly split in their opinion of Scalia. His death softened American opinion of the Justice, with the largest movement occurring among Republicans. Republican favorable assessment of Scalia rose 27 points. Democrats remained negative, while independents are only marginally less so than they were a year ago.
The fight over when and how to fill Scalia’s seat pits the President against Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Although both GOP Senators and the rank-and-file have sided with McConnell in saying there should be no new Supreme Court nominee until after the 2016 election, that agreement doesn’t make the Republican public any fonder of McConnell personally. Opinions of the Majority Leader remain as negative as they were before his announcement.
Overall, three times as Americans have unfavorable views of McConnell as have favorable ones. Among Republicans, negative opinions outnumber positive ones by nearly two to one.
McConnell’s leadership colleague in the House of Representatives, Speaker Paul Ryan, fares much better with GOP identifiers. 58% of Republicans have a favorable view of Ryan, and just 26% are unfavorable.
See the Economist/YouGov results
Economist/YouGov poll archives can be found here.
