WASHINGTON (AP) – An Associated Press-GfK poll shows that nearly 2 in 3 Americans back Democrats’ demands that the Republican-run Senate hold hearings and a vote on President Barack Obama’s pick for the Supreme Court.
But the survey also suggests that GOP defiance against considering the nomination of Merrick Garland may not hurt the party much because, to many people, the election-year fight is simply not a big deal.
The survey showed that just 1 in 5 said they’ve been following the battle over the nomination extremely or very closely. That includes just 26 percent of Democrats, 22 percent of Republicans and a scant 8 percent of independents expressing intense interest.
And while half say the court fight is especially important, more said the same about the economy and other issues.