HuffPo Poll: Women Are Less Likely To Find Kavanaugh Allegations Credible
A new poll from the Huffington Post shows that far from having a solid connection with women, the sexual misconduct allegation made by Christine Blasey Ford is found credible by fewer women than men.
Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, has said that during a high school party in the 1980s, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who was drunk, maneuvered her into a bedroom, kept her there, tried to take her clothes off and tried to get on top of her. The allegation, first made in July in a private letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, was made public just as the Senate Judiciary Committee was nearing its decision on Kavanaugh’s nomination, which has been opposed by Democrats.
The Huffington Post/YouGov poll found that despite all of the media coverage, the overall needle on Kavanaugh’s nomination has not moved very much, and neither his supporters nor detractors changing their minds.
Although within the Beltway Kavanaugh’s confirmation battle has dominated Washington D.C., the poll found that across America, only 29 percent of the registered voters sampled by the poll had been following the confirmation saga closely. In terms of gender, only 18 percent of the female registered voters surveyed were following it very closely.
Ford’s allegations have made more of an impression, but overall, 35 percent of women and 23 percent of men reported “hearing nothing at all” about her claims.
Poll respondents were asked whether that found the “allegation of sexual assault” against Kavanaugh credible.
Only 25 percent of women — fewer than the 28 percent of men — found the accusations credible. The largest share of men, 34 percent, found the allegations not credible, while the largest group of women, 35 percent, said they were reserving judgment.
The events in question date back to the early 1980s. Among adults who have more than 30 years of adult-age memories to draw upon, only 27 percent of those 45 to 64 years of age believe Ford and 29 percent of those 65 and over believe her, the poll found. In fact, the strongest pockets of disbelief of Ford’s story come from Americans over 65. The poll found that 51 percent said she was not credible.
Perhaps the strongest lens to predict whether a respondent believed Ford was party identification. Among Democrats, 53 percent said she was credible while 8 percent said she was not. The percentages were reversed among Republicans, with 4 percent saying she was credible and 60 percent saying she was not.
Among independents, only 19 percent believed Ford, while 25 percent did not.
The poll was taken on Monday and Tuesday, just as Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, was preparing to invite both Kavanaugh and Ford to a special hearing of the committee next week to hear what each had to say.
Kavanaugh has said he will attend. As of Thursday, Ford had not replied to any invitations sent by the committee, USA Today reported.
This is exactly right. The FBI should investigate Dr. Ford's allegations, not partisan staff. Senators need to be working with the same set of facts. https://t.co/Vv4TDqMA7I
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 20, 2018
Instead, Ford was asking for a full FBI investigation of her claims before she would speak. Democrats have also said that the FBI should fully investigate the allegations before a vote is held on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
After learning of the allegation, Chairman @ChuckGrassley took immediate action to ensure both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh have the opportunity to be heard, in public or private. Republicans extended a hand in good faith. If we don’t hear from both sides on Monday, let’s vote.
— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) September 19, 2018
Republicans, including those who had demanded Ford be given a hearing, have said that if Ford does not appear before the panel, the vote to confirm Kavanaugh should move forward.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
