Poll: Majorities In 2 Key Swing States Want Scalia Seat Filled Before Election

This Tuesday, July 30, 2013 photo shows Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, at the Capitol, in Washington. Portman says he can’t understand President Barack Obama’s refusal to negotiate on ending the federal shutdown impas... This Tuesday, July 30, 2013 photo shows Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, at the Capitol, in Washington. Portman says he can’t understand President Barack Obama’s refusal to negotiate on ending the federal shutdown impasse. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
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Majorities in two key swing state Senate elections oppose blocking Obama’s Supreme Court nominee sight unseen, the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling firm found in a new survey.

According to the poll, which was commissioned by the liberal group Americans United for Change, 57 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania and 58 percent of the respondents in Ohio believe that the Supreme Court vacancy left in the wake of the Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death should be filled this year before a new president is sworn into office in 2017.

Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Rob Portman (R-OH) are each running for re-election this year.

Among independent voters – a key constituency for both Toomey and Portman – a whopping 70 percent and 60 percent in Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively agreed that “the vacant seat on the Supreme Court caused by the death of Antonin Scalia should be filled this year.” In Ohio, 85 percent of independents want Portman to “wait to see who is nominated to the Supreme Court before deciding whether to confirm that person.” In Pennsylvania, 74 percent of independent voters want a senator to wait to see who the nominee is before choosing whether or not to confirm that person.

Many voters said that the Supreme Court may be a factor for them when they head to the polls in November. In both Pennsylvania and Ohio, 52 percent of voters said they would be “less likely” to support the senators for reelection if they “refuse to confirm a replacement for Justice Scalia no matter who it is.”

Both Portman and Toomey have said they don’t believe Obama should fill the slot in an election year.

The polls were conducted between Feb. 19 and 21. In Ohio, 612 voters were interviewed and the margin of error was 4 percentage points. In Pennsylvania, 859 voters were surveyed and there was an error of 3.3 percentage points.

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Notable Replies

  1. Sen Portman is in a tough spot. He is not doing that well against Strickland and can’t afford to do anything to piss off the base that already doesn’t completely trust him.

    BTW The ads a Super PAC has been running for a year in support of Portman has not changed any of the numbers.

  2. Avatar for jw1 jw1 says:

    When The Whip Comes Down…

    jw1

  3. Must be like getting into a yoga position for Portman, Toomey, Ayotte and Johnson to run both to the right and to the left.

    Johnson said all of this in the space of a few minutes in an interview recently on a right wing radio talk show.

    “Let’s let the American people decide and let the next president nominate.” “I never said that we shouldn’t vote.” “I would also say that doing nothing is an action.” “By the time I would actually take the vote if it comes to that I’ll take a vote.”

  4. The guy standing behind McConnell, visible over his left shoulder, tried to sneak in a quick little clandestine nose pick.

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