WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Navigator Research released new polling showing that 60 percent of Americans trust President Biden to nominate the next Supreme Court Justice. A majority of Democrats, Black Americans, and Hispanic Americans also indicated that the nomination of a new Justice increases their motivation to vote in the midterms.
“President Biden has the opportunity to follow through on a campaign promise by appointing the first Black woman Justice to the Supreme Court, and the majority of Americans trust him to pick the right person for the job,” said Bryan Bennett, Senior Director of Polling and Analytics at the Hub Project and Advisor to Navigator Research. “The White House and Democrats in the Senate should feel confident in expeditiously moving forward with the nomination process knowing that Americans support the president’s judgment to fill this vacancy on the Court.”
When asked about different reasons for President Biden to follow through on his campaign promise to nominate a Black woman Justice to the Court, 64 percent of respondents indicated that making the Court look as diverse as the United States as a whole is a good reason for Biden to fulfill this promise, including 56 percent of independents. Respondents also reacted positively to the idea that appointing a Black woman judge would provide an important role model for children, with 62 percent of respondents agreeing that it was a good reason to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
The nomination of a new Supreme Court Justice also has implications for the 2022 midterm elections. Almost half (48 percent) of Americans say Biden’s nomination opportunity makes them more motivated to vote, with a majority (56 percent) of Democrats reporting being more motivated to vote by the nomination compared to just 45 percent of Republicans.
The nomination is particularly motivating for Black and Hispanic Americans, with three in five Black Americans and a majority (54 percent) of Hispanic Americans saying they are more motivated to vote by this issue.
Navigator also recently released additional findings from focus groups conducted with Black voters in Michigan, Georgia, and Texas, that shed light on how voters feel about Vice President Harris’s role and performance. Focus group participants largely agreed that her status as the country’s first Black female Vice President is significant, but also discussed their desire for more insight into her work and role. When asked to assign Harris a letter grade, most people gave her a C. Beyond increased visibility, participants also want to see Harris stand up for Black women in particular and take bolder stances on issues that impact them.
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About Navigator Research
The Navigator Research project is designed to act as a consistent, flexible, responsive tool to inform policy debates. By conducting research and providing reliable guidance to inform allies, elected leaders, and the press, Navigator helps top leaders in Washington and grassroots leaders around the country shape the debate on the issues that matter most. Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates.
About the Study
Global Strategy Group conducted public opinion surveys among a sample of 1,000 registered voters from February 3-February 7, 2022. 101 additional interviews were conducted among Hispanic voters. 78 additional interviews were conducted among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. 99 additional interviews were conducted among African American voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted among independent voters. The survey was conducted online, recruiting respondents from an opt-in online panel vendor. Respondents were verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables. The margin of error at the 95% confidence level is +/-3.1%. The margin of error on sub-samples is greater.
About the Focus Group
This release features findings from three focus groups conducted on January 25, 2022 with Black voters in three states: in Michigan with less politically engaged men (most of whom were in our February 2021 group), in Georgia with younger Democratic men, and in Texas with younger Democratic women. Qualitative results are not statistically projectable.