Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement of former President Donald Trump made political headlines, but it doesn’t appear to have had an outsize impact on the presidential race.
A new poll from Quinnipiac University indicates that voters’ feelings about Trump are largely unchanged. Sixty-four percent say Kennedy’s endorsement does not affect their view of Trump, while 19% say it makes them think more favorably about Trump and 15% say it makes them think less favorably.
“RFK Jr. — his own presidential prospects in a nosedive — bounces to Donald Trump’s camp,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement. “But is he an asset or a liability? Independents, so critical to the outcome of the race, aren’t exactly swayed by him to change their views about Trump.”
Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump on Aug. 23. A Pew Research survey revealed that many of the independent presidential candidate’s backers decided to support Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race by a near 2-to-1 margin.
But while Kennedy’s decision to endorse Trump may not have an impact nationally, even a 1% swing toward Trump in swing states could push the former president over the top. CNN reported that there is “hope within the former president’s operation that Kennedy’s exit could prove decisive if certain battlegrounds are decided by thousands of ballots, just as they were in 2020.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In the same Quinnipiac poll, Vice President Kamala Harris received 49% support nationally, while Trump clocked in at 47%. Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver each received 1%.
In a two-way race between Harris and Trump, Harris receives 49% support and Trump receives 48% support.
