The latest talking point by Trump and the Republicans is that the fight over the Kavanaugh nomination will help Republicans in next months election. But that is not what this poll shows. Republicans say it will make them more likely to vote for Republicans, but they were going to vote that way anyway.
What really matters is what the Independents think. Independent men say it will make them more likely to vote Republican by a 2 point margin. But Independent women say it will make them more likely to vote Democratic by a 25 point margin.
The same is true of the general public. All men voters say it makes them more likely to vote Republican by a 5 point margin, while all women say it makes them more likely to vote Democratic by a 16 point margin. The Kavanaugh nomination and confirmation just exacerbated the gender gap that was already going against the Republicans.
The chart is from a new Washington Post / ABC News Poll -- done between October 8th and 11th of a national sample of 991 registered voters, with a margin of error of 3.5 points.
