At the Polls

Kennedy Continues Positive Trend in June and July

The Kennedy Beacon will follow polling of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  This first post collects major polls published in June and July, revealing a rise in the number of people who find him ‘favorable.’

July

In a new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll, conducted July 19 - 20 and published this past weekend, Kennedy’s favorability rose to 47 percent. Of GOP voters, 46 percent found him favorable, while 51 percent of Democrats found him favorable. 

If the Democratic primary were held today, 16 percent of Democratic-leaning responders said that they would vote for Kennedy, while 62 percent would vote for President Biden. 

The poll also found that if Biden decides not to run for re-election, 44 percent of respondents would prefer Kamala Harris to be the candidate. Kennedy followed Harris with 22 percent. 

On July 19, a Quinnipiac University poll found that President Biden received  71 percent support among Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters. Kennedy received 14 percent with Williamson at 7 percent. The survey was conducted from July 13 to July 17. 

Kennedy’s favorability rating has risen in this particular survey: 35 percent saw Kennedy as favorable (a 4-point uptick from a month earlier); 32 percent unfavorable; and 32 percent hadn’t heard enough about him to form an opinion (an 11-point drop from the previous month).

Also on July 19, the University of New Hampshire Survey Center published its new poll. It found that 70 percent of likely Democratic primary voters would vote for President Biden, while only 10 percent said they would vote for Kennedy. 

However, the survey also found that: “Half of Biden supporters are not enthusiastic if Biden is the 2024 Democratic nominee, but most supporters plan to vote for Biden even if he does not appear on the ballot. There is little interest in challengers Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Marianne Williamson, both of whom are unpopular among likely Democratic primary voters and few Biden supporters even consider either Kennedy or Williamson to be their second choice.”

June

A Suffolk University poll, conducted in collaboration with USA Today found 58 percent support for President Biden, 15 percent for Kennedy and and 6 for Williamson. According to the same survey, eight out of 10 Democratic-leaning voters are hoping for Democratic primary debates. The survey was collected between June 5 and 9. 

In a poll conducted between June 10 and 13 by the Economist and YouGov, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. topped President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in favorability ratings. 

49 percent of responders found Kennedy favorable or somewhat favorable. For Biden, the percentage was 45, while Trump’s favorability rate was 43 percent.

Also, according to a Quinnipiac University poll, conducted from June 8 through 12, 17 percent of Democratic-leaning respondents said they would vote for Kennedy. Biden’s support was 70 percent, while Marianne Williamson’s support was 8 percent. 

That same poll found 31 percent favorability for Kennedy; 26 percent saw him as unfavorable; and 43 percent hadn’t heard enough about him to form an opinion.

A poll conducted from June 21 to June 23, by Saint Anselm College found that while President Biden received 70 percent support, Kennedy had 9 percent. Marianne Williamson’s support was at 8 percent.

The survey also asked: “In your view, will a 2024 rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump represent a match-up between the best that each party has to offer voters or a clear sign that the party system is broken?”An overwhelming 83 percent answered that the system is broken. 

And finally, FiveThirtyEight polling site steadily tracks President Biden's popularity, or rather unpopularity. On July 23rd, Biden’s approval rate was only 41 percent. 

More to come at The Kennedy Beacon and, on twitter, @KennedyBeacon