Poll: Opposition to Kavanaugh had been rising before accusation

In polling conducted last week, partly before and partly after allegations that Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted a teenage girl when he was a teen, 39% of Americans said they favored his confirmation to the Supreme Court and 42% were opposed. That represents a slight shift from two prior surveys in which more thought his nomination should be confirmed rather than rejected.

The latest poll was conducted Sept. 10-16. Last Wednesday, Sept. 12, a news report surfaced that there were sensitive allegations against Kavanaugh, and on Sept. 14, a reporter for The New Yorker detailed that those allegations involved sexual assault. On Sunday, The Washington Post published an interview with the accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. Kavanaugh has strongly denied the allegations.