A majority of Americans want President Obama to nominate a new Supreme Court justice, according to a new poll.
Nearly six in 10 (58 percent) of respondents in a new CNN/ORC poll released Thursday said they want Obama to nominate a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia this year, while 41 percent said they would prefer his seat to remain vacant until after the November general election.
Another 66 percent say that whomever Obama nominates should get a hearing in the Senate — something Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said will not be happening.
The poll is partisan in both expected and surprising ways.
Though only 29 percent of Republicans think the president should nominate someone, more Republicans (67 percent) than Democrats (60 percent) said that they want the Senate to hold hearings on the potential nominee.
However, 48 percent of respondents said that if Senate Republicans disapprove of a nominee even after hearings are held, they would be justified in preventing a confirmation vote.
Eighty-two percent of Democrats and 59 percent of independents want Obama to put forth a nominee, the poll also found.
The poll of 1,001 adults was conducted between Feb. 24-27 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
