Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s independent presidential campaign is expected to affect the main matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, with a new poll showing he may be taking more votes away from the latter.
An NBC News poll released on Sunday shows twice as many voters who would support Trump in a head-to-head matchup with Biden say they would support Kennedy in a five-way race, when compared to Biden supporters in a head-to-head matchup.
The survey shows 15% of those who support Trump in a two-way race would support Kennedy in a five-way race. Comparatively, 7% of those who support Biden in a two-way race would support Kennedy in a five-way race. The defectors are enough to make a difference in who is leading in the national polling, depending on how candidates are listed.
In a head-to-head race, the NBC News poll shows Trump leading 46%-44%, but in a five-way race including Biden, Trump, Kennedy, Jill Stein, and Cornel West, Biden leads Trump 39%-37%, with 13% opting for Kennedy.
The effect of Kennedy on the race has been a topic of discussion since he launched his independent bid last year. Different polls and analysts have had different conclusions on who Kennedy would help and hurt between Biden and Trump.
Both campaigns have worked to minimize the effect of Kennedy’s candidacy on both men’s quest for a second term in the White House.
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Trump has railed against Kennedy as being the “most Radical Left Candidate in the race, by far,” and a super PAC supporting Trump created a website highlighting Kennedy’s “radical” record.
Last week, Biden’s campaign hosted much of the Kennedy family at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, where they endorsed Biden over their relative for the presidential election.
