Independent Candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Could Impact Trump and Biden’s Chances in 2024 Election
2 min readAccording to a recent Marist poll, former President Donald Trump and President Biden are running neck-and-neck in a new 2024 presidential election poll. However, the data suggests that an independent bid by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. could upend the race in Biden’s favor. The poll, released on Tuesday, showed that 49% of registered voters would support Biden, 46% would support Trump, and 5% were undecided. These numbers shifted dramatically with Kennedy running as an independent candidate, but it appeared to hurt Trump’s chances more than Biden’s odds of winning a second term.
When Kennedy was included in the poll, he received 16% support among voters, while Trump received 37% and Biden received 44%. Only 3% of voters remained undecided. The biggest shift in support for both Trump and Biden came from independent voters, with a significant drop in support for Trump (from 49% to 34%) and Biden (from 43% to 33%) when Kennedy was in the race. Kennedy received support from 29% of independent voters.
Among Republicans, support for Trump also dropped significantly from 91% to 81% when Kennedy’s candidacy was included. Kennedy, on the other hand, received support from 11% of GOP voters. Biden saw a smaller drop in support from Democrats, going from 91% to 86%, with Kennedy receiving support from 9% of Democrats.
Kennedy announced on October 9th that he would be running as an independent after initially attempting a run against Biden and fellow Democrat Marianne Williamson for the party’s presidential nomination. He made this decision following the Democratic National Committee’s backing of Biden and their refusal to hold any primary debates.
It is important to note that the poll does not provide a definitive picture of the 2024 election landscape as it is still early, and other factors could influence voter preferences. However, the results do highlight the potential impact of an independent candidate like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on the race between Trump and Biden. As the 2024 campaign trail continues, it will be interesting to see how these dynamics evolve and whether other candidates emerge to further shape the race for the White House.
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