March 18, 2016 at 10:20 am ET
In 2016 Field, Voters Want Clinton, Trump to Nominate Next SCOTUS Justice
Leahy, left, with Garland, called last year's standoff one of the "greatest stains" on the panel's history. (Rob Kunzig/Morning Consult)
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and real estate mogul Donald Trump are the 2016 presidential candidates that voters want to select the next nominee to the Supreme Court, a new Morning Consult survey shows.
The poll, taken in the days that followed President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, shows 36 percent of Democrats said Clinton should nominate the next justice, compared with 26 percent Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders’ supporters.
Related: Almost Half of GOP Voters Say Senate Should Hold SCOTUS Hearings
In the GOP field, 35 percent backed front-runner Trump as the man to nominate the next justice, followed by 23 percent of voters who preferred Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and 9 percent who opted for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
| ICS | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Apr-20 | May-20 | Jun-20 | Jul-20 | Aug-20 | Sep-20 | Oct-20 | Nov-20 | Dec-20 | Jan-21 | Feb-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | 125.1 | 128.1 | 110.8 | 97.4 | 98.8 | 99.7 | 98.7 | 98.7 | 103 | 104.5 | 93 | 92.4 | 87.3 | 93.8 |
| AK | 119.2 | 112.8 | 106.3 | 78.2 | 80.1 | 80.6 | 84 | 85.5 | 81.2 | 87.9 | 87 | 85.8 | 90 | 91.2 |
| AZ | 118.2 | 118.5 | 98.7 | 87.5 | 89.1 | 92.1 | 87 | 91.6 | 98 | 99.1 | 92 | 89.8 | 89.1 | 92.6 |
| AR | 116.9 | 117.8 | 100.1 | 90.1 | 92.8 | 93.9 | 90.7 | 91.8 | 95.2 | 97 | 91.2 | 85.9 | 86 | 85.1 |
| CA | 110.8 | 111.5 | 92.7 | 80.4 | 82.3 | 86 | 83.5 | 86 | 89.6 | 91.7 | 90 | 88.4 | 91.6 | 97.5 |
| CO | 110.6 | 112.8 | 92.4 | 78.1 | 82.7 | 82 | 83.7 | 85.4 | 90.2 | 91.4 | 87 | 86.2 | 88.7 | 90.9 |
| CT | 107.4 | 109.6 | 90.7 | 75.1 | 78.6 | 86.7 | 84.7 | 87.5 | 89.9 | 90.3 | 87.8 | 83.7 | 88.9 | 92.1 |
| DE | 115.1 | 115.5 | 96.7 | 82.1 | 87.7 | 89.4 | 87.3 | 91.1 | 91.2 | 97.4 | 91.2 | 87.9 | 93.2 | 96.1 |
| FL | 119.5 | 118.6 | 100 | 86.9 | 91.2 | 92.9 | 89.2 | 91.7 | 95.2 | 96.8 | 93.8 | 91.3 | 92.3 | 96.1 |
| GA | 124.4 | 126 | 108.4 | 94.7 | 95.8 | 97.6 | 95.7 | 99.1 | 101.9 | 104.9 | 99.4 | 94.3 | 94.4 | 95.2 |
| HI | 105.5 | 106.1 | 84 | 72.5 | 76.8 | 74 | 73 | 70.7 | 72.3 | 74.2 | 78.6 | 83.9 | 85 | 89.1 |
| ID | 118.7 | 124.3 | 105.1 | 88.2 | 94.5 | 99 | 95 | 94.4 | 98.6 | 95.4 | 91.2 | 88.7 | 87.1 | 90.5 |
| IL | 111.1 | 112 | 92.8 | 79.8 | 82.8 | 84.6 | 85.8 | 85.1 | 89.3 | 90.1 | 88.5 | 87.9 | 92 | 94.2 |
| IN | 119.6 | 119.9 | 101.1 | 85.3 | 89.5 | 93.3 | 88.6 | 91.9 | 94.2 | 94.3 | 86.5 | 86.6 | 85.8 | 88.4 |
| IA | 109.7 | 110.6 | 90.2 | 80.4 | 82.2 | 86.1 | 84 | 86.5 | 86.2 | 87.9 | 83.5 | 83 | 87 | 91.9 |
| KS | 115.6 | 112.6 | 92.5 | 82 | 82.4 | 87.7 | 86.4 | 88.2 | 90.5 | 94.4 | 85.5 | 85.9 | 85.3 | 85.4 |
| KY | 114.8 | 116.4 | 100.9 | 84.8 | 88.8 | 89.8 | 88.7 | 89.2 | 92.3 | 92.9 | 85.9 | 81.1 | 82.4 | 83.8 |
| LA | 121.6 | 125.4 | 110.2 | 93.3 | 97.4 | 99.4 | 93.3 | 95 | 100.1 | 97.8 | 92.8 | 89.7 | 86.1 | 89.1 |
| ME | 109.5 | 111.3 | 87.1 | 74.9 | 77.2 | 80.1 | 80 | 78.9 | 83.6 | 82.4 | 81.4 | 78.1 | 85.9 | 85.4 |
| MD | 112.3 | 113.9 | 93.7 | 79.5 | 83.7 | 88.1 | 85 | 88.4 | 90.8 | 90.3 | 90 | 90.4 | 92.8 | 96.9 |
| MA | 107.7 | 107.7 | 89.9 | 75.7 | 77.1 | 83.9 | 83.2 | 83.3 | 85.5 | 83.8 | 86.5 | 87.9 | 91.6 | 95.7 |
| MI | 113.1 | 114.5 | 94.6 | 80.1 | 81.3 | 88 | 85.2 | 87.5 | 90.9 | 92.1 | 86 | 85.2 | 86.9 | 91 |
| MN | 115 | 116 | 93 | 79.5 | 78.7 | 90.1 | 87.6 | 89.6 | 94.3 | 93.1 | 89.9 | 90.4 | 88.1 | 91.1 |
| MS | 122.4 | 123.3 | 106.3 | 94.2 | 93.5 | 97.5 | 92.2 | 93.3 | 97.6 | 95.7 | 90.2 | 89.1 | 89.4 | 91 |
| MO | 119.4 | 120.7 | 101.4 | 88 | 90.4 | 91.4 | 88.9 | 91.8 | 95.4 | 96.4 | 89.3 | 89 | 86 | 89.9 |
| MT | 116.3 | 115.1 | 100.2 | 85.7 | 91.7 | 96 | 87 | 86.4 | 91.9 | 97.5 | 83.8 | 80.6 | 74.4 | 77.8 |
| NE | 117 | 119.3 | 93.5 | 83.5 | 88.2 | 87.8 | 85 | 93 | 95.6 | 92.4 | 87.5 | 86.2 | 87.1 | 86.9 |
| NV | 120.4 | 121.8 | 95.8 | 85.9 | 86.1 | 86.6 | 86.7 | 90.2 | 92.1 | 92.5 | 89.1 | 84.5 | 88 | 89 |
| NH | 110.6 | 109.5 | 91 | 77.4 | 76.2 | 83.4 | 81.2 | 79.3 | 82.7 | 82.6 | 83.7 | 86.7 | 87.5 | 89.4 |
| NJ | 111.6 | 111.8 | 91.7 | 79.6 | 80.9 | 86.7 | 85.2 | 87.5 | 90.3 | 90.6 | 90.1 | 89.7 | 91.3 | 95.3 |
| NM | 111.5 | 115 | 100.1 | 87.1 | 87 | 92.3 | 83.5 | 87.4 | 86.9 | 89.1 | 84.9 | 81.5 | 87.2 | 89.9 |
| NY | 112.2 | 112.4 | 94.5 | 81.5 | 82.5 | 88.4 | 88.9 | 89.5 | 92 | 92.5 | 91.9 | 91.8 | 93.8 | 97.9 |
| NC | 119.7 | 121.3 | 99.4 | 88.7 | 91.4 | 92.9 | 91.4 | 93.3 | 95.4 | 96.7 | 93.1 | 90.4 | 90.6 | 94.2 |
| ND | 115.6 | 116.9 | 100.6 | 79.7 | 85.4 | 86.9 | 88.3 | 85.5 | 87.4 | 89.9 | 85.4 | 77.9 | 79.6 | 78.8 |
| OH | 114.9 | 116.6 | 96.8 | 82.5 | 85.7 | 89.3 | 86.1 | 87.9 | 93.3 | 94.6 | 88.9 | 87.3 | 89.4 | 90.4 |
| OK | 117.6 | 118.9 | 103.3 | 90.6 | 90.5 | 90 | 89.6 | 90.7 | 95.5 | 94.3 | 86.1 | 86.5 | 88.9 | 88.3 |
| OR | 109.3 | 107.3 | 88.6 | 77.3 | 76.5 | 78.7 | 78.3 | 81.7 | 83.1 | 86.1 | 86 | 80.4 | 82.1 | 86.5 |
| PA | 114.1 | 114.8 | 95.3 | 80.3 | 83.4 | 88.7 | 87.4 | 89.6 | 91.4 | 93.1 | 86.6 | 83 | 84.9 | 88.4 |
| RI | 110.7 | 111 | 87 | 79.3 | 81.9 | 84.3 | 82.1 | 89.4 | 89.9 | 88.4 | 80.9 | 87.1 | 87.7 | 92.8 |
| SC | 121.3 | 124.1 | 105 | 90.9 | 93.1 | 93.3 | 90.9 | 95.2 | 98 | 98.2 | 94.3 | 90.5 | 89.6 | 90.2 |
| SD | 111.5 | 115 | 98.4 | 80.5 | 88.1 | 88.3 | 94.5 | 95 | 91.7 | 87.9 | 79.8 | 88.4 | 78.2 | 83.8 |
| TN | 122 | 123.2 | 103.1 | 92.6 | 93 | 95.3 | 90.1 | 94.5 | 96.3 | 96 | 90.4 | 89 | 86.4 | 88.4 |
| TX | 120.8 | 120.6 | 103 | 87.8 | 91 | 92.9 | 91.4 | 93.6 | 96.4 | 98.5 | 92.7 | 91.5 | 92.9 | 95 |
| UT | 122 | 123.2 | 102.3 | 88.5 | 94.4 | 94 | 87.5 | 89.1 | 95.7 | 96.5 | 89.1 | 90 | 90.5 | 91.6 |
| VT | 99.6 | 95.1 | 83.3 | 70 | 75 | 76.6 | 76.6 | 79.6 | 75.3 | 77.7 | 75.6 | 80.2 | 84.9 | 86.3 |
| VA | 118.5 | 118.8 | 102.5 | 86.5 | 89.6 | 91.4 | 91.1 | 90 | 94.1 | 93.6 | 92.2 | 88.7 | 90.8 | 94.9 |
| WA | 109.9 | 107.4 | 89.3 | 80.8 | 83.1 | 83.9 | 82.3 | 84.2 | 85.2 | 86 | 84.7 | 80.4 | 87.8 | 92.1 |
| WV | 108.6 | 111.6 | 99.4 | 85.4 | 87.1 | 88.6 | 84.3 | 86 | 91.1 | 92.9 | 83.9 | 75.1 | 70.5 | 73.9 |
| WI | 111.3 | 112.3 | 88.3 | 78.9 | 80.7 | 85.6 | 84.6 | 83.7 | 88.6 | 90.2 | 87.5 | 85.9 | 87.3 | 89 |
| WY | 116.3 | 124.2 | 103.3 | 90.6 | 89.4 | 87.8 | 91.8 | 88.6 | 100.3 | 94.2 | 92.5 | 78 | 88.5 | 88.7 |
Among independent voters, Sanders leads the way with 16 percent of voters’ support, followed by Trump at 13 percent.
The Morning Consult survey polled 2,011 registered voters from March 16-18 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. See the toplines and crosstabs.
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