A majority of Americans think that the winner of November’s presidential election should be the one to pick the next Supreme Court justice, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Overall, 62 percent of Americans said the candidate who is elected in November should pick the next justice, while 23 percent disagreed, and the rest weren’t sure. The poll, which was conducted Saturday and Sunday, shows that many Americans appear to disagree with the plan by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders to quickly confirm a new justice for the Supreme Court.
As could be expected, the numbers are split along party lines, but the poll found many Republicans agree with the sentiment that the winner of the election should be the one to nominate the justice who will take the seat left vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. While eight out of 10 Democrats said the winner of the election should fill the seat, five out of 10 Republicans agreed.
The poll also found that while Ginsburg’s death could have a direct impact on the election, the numbers are quite close on whom they would favor. While 30 percent of Americans said the justice’s death made them more likely to vote for Biden, 25 percent said it made them more likely to support Trump.
Polls taken before Ginsburg’s death found that voters as a whole largely preferred Biden to pick the next Supreme Court justice, according to an analysis of surveys carried out by the New York Times. That preference was particularly strong among undecided voters and those who were not particularly sure about whether they would cast a ballot in the first place.