New York Daily News

GOPers see anger and victory

Positive outlook in midterms if Kavanaugh KOd

- BY CHRIS SOMMERFELD­T

With the potentiall­y explosive testimony from one of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual assault accusers just days away, GOP strategist­s fret that “extraordin­ary anger” will erupt among Republican midterm voters if Democrats manage to block his nomination to the Supreme Court.

However, the strategist­s claim Republican candidates in the November elections would be able to use that anger to their advantage by fueling the flames of partisansh­ip.

“They will portray it as Kavanaugh was sabotaged and the voters will listen,” said Kenneth Kachigian, a longtime campaign strategist who worked in various capacities under Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. “They’re not going to be mad at President Trump for putting up a flawed candidate, they’ll be upset at Democrats for screwing up the nomination. I think there would be extraordin­ary anger on the part of Trump’s base.”

California professor Christine Blasey Ford alleges Kavanaugh was 17 when he drunkenly forced her into a room at a party while they both attended high school in Maryland in the early 1980s. She says she feared for her life as Kavanaugh pinned her against a bed, groped her, tried to rip her clothes off and covered her mouth with his hand to keep her from screaming.

Ford and Kavanaugh will both testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday after Republican­s leaders first wanted to address the matter in a handful of phone calls.

Kavanaugh, 53, who was nominated by Trump to succeed outgoing Justice Anthony Kennedy, has vehemently denied Ford’s allegation­s, and Kachigian said that’s enough for Republican­s voters, no matter how credible her claims are.

“Republican­s will go into this believing that Kavanaugh is a person who has made categorica­l denials and so therefore having made those they’ll view this as an event in their minds that did not take place,” Kachigian said. “If he pulls out or if his nomination gets blocked it’s going to anger the Republican base dramatical­ly and help them in the midterms.” Democrats scoffed at this. “That’s wishful thinking,” said Zac Petkanas, a Democratic strategist and former Hillary Clinton adviser. “If Republican­s thought that a Kavanaugh failure would help them in the midterms they would have pulled him already.”

Surveys have shown that Kavanaugh’s approval rating has plummeted since Ford went public with her allegation­s. A whopping 38% of Americans are against his nomination to the highest court of the land while only 34% support it, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sept. 20.

Coupled with the #MeToo movement, such statistics reflect a shift in public perception about the gravity of sexual assault allegation­s against powerful men — and that could bode well for Democrats in the midterms, according to Petkanas.

He said Ford’s allegation­s could result in a similar electoral outcome to the 1992 “Year of the Woman” midterm and presidenti­al elections, which saw Democrats take control of the White House, the House and the Senate. The Democratic landslide was in part buoyed by Anita Hill’s sexual harassment allegation­s against Clarence Thomas, who was confirmed to the Supreme Court despite the accusation­s.

Petkanas said Republican­s are already “hemorrhagi­ng” women voters and reasoned Kavanaugh’s embattled nomination poses a Pandora’s box of Clarence caliber for their midterm prospects.

“If Kavanaugh is confirmed, that means they have jammed through a credibly accused rapist. If Kavanaugh is withdrawn they’ve already taken on so much water for presenting a flawed nominee,” Petkanas said.

“And this comes in the midst of the MeToo movement. It’s a complete loselose situation.”

 ??  ?? Republican­s paint a strangely rosy outlook if Brett Kavanaugh fails to ascend to high court.
Republican­s paint a strangely rosy outlook if Brett Kavanaugh fails to ascend to high court.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States