A Rasmussen poll out today indicates public support for Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination may be faltering. Most of the drop is likely a result of the Ricci v. DeStefano decision.
A heavily publicized U.S. Supreme Court reversal of an appeals court ruling by Judge Sonia Sotomayor has at least temporarily diminished public support for President Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, conducted on the two nights following the Supreme Court decision, finds that 37% now believe Sotomayor should be confirmed while 39% disagree.
Two weeks ago, the numbers were much brighter for the nominee. At that time, 42% favored confirmation, and 34% were opposed.
The most interesting part of the survey is the opposition from independents.
Democrats now favor confirmation by a four-to-one margin while Republicans are opposed by a three-to-one margin. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 23% favor confirmation, and 49% are opposed.
If the support for Sotomayor was strictly on partisan lines, we could feel fairly safe in predicting she will sail through the Senate. But that is clearly not the case anymore. This poll gives a green light to Republicans who were not sure whether they should challenge the nomination.
On this blog in the past, I have recommended Republicans focus on more important issues than Sotomayor because it looked like a losing battle. I’m no longer sure that is the case. A full-throated attack may be in order, and it’s time for the outside interests on both sides to ramp up spending.