>
Article snippet: One of the most intense midterm election campaigns in recent memory is growing even more vicious in the aftermath of a partisan brawl over Supreme Court Justice MORE that deeply angered conservatives and liberals alike. Both parties are seizing on the issue, with Republicans in close Senate races going on the attack in red states against Sens. MORE won in 2016. Liberals are furious that Kavanaugh, a potentially pivotal vote on abortion rights and other issues, was confirmed despite what they view as credible accusations of sexual assault against him, which he has denied. Democratic candidates for the House believe the issue will help attract the votes of suburban women already moving in their direction. The trend toward a more polarized political landscape has been a long time coming, said Michael Steel, a former adviser to former Speaker MORE (R-Ohio), noting that the divisions have been driven by demographic shifts, social changes and rapidly developing technology. But he noted that Trump has exacerbated that increasingly partisan dynamic since the 2016 election. Trump stunned the political world by winning the White House despite a number of controversial incidents, including the leak of the “Access Hollywood” tape that led many in his own party to denounce him at the time. “The polarization is real. It’s a big historic trend, and President Trump is both a symptom and a cause,” Steel told The Hill, saying he believes the prospect of a Democratic-controlled Con... Link to the full article to read more