Poll: 60 percent think GOP too lenient on sexual misconduct accusations

A majority of Americans surveyed think Republicans are too lenient on politicians accused of sexual misconduct within their own party, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Sixty percent of Americans polled said they believed Republicans were too lax when members of their own party were accused of sexual misconduct, while 31 percent of those polled said Republicans’ reactions were fine.

The poll comes as women across the country have come forward in recent months to accuse various influential men of sexual misconduct.

Capitol Hill has been rocked by claims that have resulted in the resignations of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and former Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.).

Republicans have also found themselves at the center of the allegations, with Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) announcing he would not be seeking reelection after it was revealed he reached a settlement with a former female aide who accused him of sexual harassment.

The poll was taken just before Alabama Democrat Doug Jones won a special election for a Senate seat against embattled Republican candidate Roy Moore who has been accused of sexual misconduct with teenage girls when he was in his 30s.

Numerous Democratic lawmakers have also called for President Trump’s resignation amid numerous sexual misconduct claims against him.

Respondents in the poll also said they thought there was not enough protection for victims of sexual misconduct. 

Nearly 60 percent of Americans polled said there is not enough protection for victims, while only 37 percent said there was not enough protection for people accused of sexual misconduct. 

Republican men appeared to share the view that there is not enough protection for people accused of sexual misconduct, with 52 percent of them saying there is not enough protection for the accused.

The AP-NORC survey was conducted Dec. 7-11 among 1,020 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.