Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent candidate in the 2024 presidential election, is taking a relatively significant share of voters, the latest Quinnipiac survey released this week found.
Both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are virtually tied in a head-to-head matchup, with 46 percent and 47 percent, respectively. They are also virtually tied among independent voters, separated by only one point — 45 percent for Trump and 44 percent for Biden.
However, the razor thin gap between the two expands when Kennedy is thrown into the mix. In a three-way race, Biden sees 39 percent support, followed by 36 percent for Trump. Kennedy takes a significant share of voters — 22 percent.
President Joe Biden, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former President Donald Trump (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg, Jamie McCarth, James Devaney/GC Images/Getty Images)
Further, independent voters also side with Kennedy, as he earns 36 percent support, followed by 31 percent who chose Trump and 30 percent who chose Biden.
When Green Party candidate Cornel West is thrown into the mix, making it a four-person race, Kennedy still takes the largest share of independents (33 percent), followed by Trump (30 percent), Biden (27 percent), and West (eight percent).
With West, a single percentage point separates Biden and Trump once again — 36 percent for Biden and 35 percent for Trump. Kennedy then falls from 22 percent support to 19 percent support, and West receives 6 percent support.
Overall, a plurality, 48 percent of voters, said they are “more motivated” to vote in the 2024 election than in past presidential elections.
The survey was taken October 26-30 among 1,610 self-identified registered voters. It has a +/- 2.4 percent margin of error and follows ongoing speculation of the effect Kennedy’s status as an independent candidate will have on the race, as it remains unclear who his candidacy will help or hurt more. Various polls tell different stories, some showing Kennedy helping Trump and others showing Kennedy helping Biden.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) did not welcome Kennedy’s decision to drop out of the Democrat Party and run as an independent — a choice he made in October — deeming him a “typical elitist liberal.”
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“Make no mistake – a Democrat in Independent’s clothing is still a Democrat. RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising AOC’s tax hikes – he is your typical elitist liberal and voters won’t be fooled,” RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said.
While Kennedy’s position on the coronavirus vaccine and “strong border control” has resonated with some GOP voters, Kennedy most recently made waves after coming out in favor of reparations, using tax dollars to “rebuild black infrastructure” and “direct redress payments or tax credits to the descendants of the victims of Jim Crow and other victims of persecution.”