WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court fight on Capitol Hill could have an impact on the midterms when it comes to a key voting block: suburban women.

  • The Kavanaugh issue may not bode well for Republicans. 
  • Trump won suburban women in 2016 but is now losing by a wide margin.
  • Moderate Democrats in states which Trump won may face pushback for not voting for Kavanaugh. 

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, Republicans have struggled to maintain female support. The Kavanaugh fight only exacerbates that problem, according to Steven Billet, a professor in the Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University.

“Donald Trump won suburban women in 2016, he’s losing by a wide margin now,” Billet said. “As the Kavanaugh issue continues to play out, it’s not good news for Republicans.”

A recent poll by Quinnipiac University shows most women do not want to see Brett Kavanaugh confirmed. Only 37 percent of women support his confirmation, compared with 49 percent of men.

The president’s comments at a Tuesday rally in Mississippi underscore this problem. The president took on Kavanaugh’s first accuser directly, questioning the memories of Christine Blasey Ford.

“Upstairs? Downstairs? Where was it?” he said to cheers.

In North Carolina, suburban women voters hold currency. The hotly contested 9th Congressional District race between Mark Harris and Dan McCready includes the Charlotte suburbs. District 2 – another toss-up election – includes the area around the Raleigh suburbs.

Senate races are somewhat of a different story. Those lawmakers actually have to vote on Kavanaugh. Moderate Democrats in states that President Trump won, in particular, could face intense pushback for not supporting him.

One thing that is consistent across the political spectrum is that the Kavanaugh fight is firing people up.

“The big question is, 'Who is going to vote?'” Billet said.