At the Polls: President Biden’s Ratings Slump as Kennedy’s Popularity Rises

By Adam Garrie

A new ABC/Washington Post poll found that President Joe Biden faces dismal approval ratings across every major voting cohort, while a recent Rasmussen Reports survey showed increasing support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. among Democratic voters.

Online betting platforms are still a toss up.

In the ABC/ WP poll, among registered and likely Democratic voters, 62% of those surveyed want someone other than Biden to be the Democratic nominee in the 2024 election. This contrasts with a strong majority of Republicans and likely Republican voters who favor Donald Trump as their party’s nominee.

Among the names floated as potential replacements for Biden, Kennedy was the favorite among declared presidential candidates. The poll found him virtually tied with Vice President Kamala Harris and Senator Bernie Sanders in a hypothetical primary contest. Crucially, Sanders has stated that he will not run in 2024, while Harris is effectively guaranteed not to be in the race unless the President declines to run.

The poll also found 44% of Americans feel they are economically worse off under Biden.This is the lowest rating for any president since 1986. 64% of respondents disapproved of Biden’s handling of the economy, while 62% disapproved of his handling of the border crisis.

In a contest between Trump and Biden, Trump is ahead by 9 points. Trump has also gained ground on Biden in several key demographics. Among racial and ethnic minorities, Trump has increased his share of the vote from 32% to 43%, while Biden has remained stagnant at 50%.

Among Hispanic voters, Trump now leads Biden 50% to 43%, while among young Americans (18-35), Trump leads Biden by 53% to 38%. Trump’s lead over male voters grew to 61% against Biden’s 34%. 

The Rasmussen Reports survey, conducted by telephone on September 14 and 17-18, found that 25 percent of likely Democratic voters prefer Kennedy, with 57 percent still saying they’d back Biden. Only three percent of Democratic voters favor author Marianne Williamson as their primary candidate. 

The poll also asked, if the DNC and GOP candidates in the general election are President Biden and former President Trump again, with Kennedy running as a third-party presidential candidate, how likely is it that you would vote for Kennedy? Of Democratic voters, 33 percent said that they might vote for Kennedy as a third-party candidate rather than for Biden. 

Furthermore, a separate poll conducted by Emerson College on September 17-18, has highlighted concerns about President Biden's age among a majority of voters, with 55 percent saying that Biden’s age is a problem. 

Regarding President Biden's overall approval ratings, the survey indicates that 41 percent of voters approve of his performance in the Oval Office, while 47 percent disapprove. While a mid-August CNN Poll of Polls had him at 40 percent approval with 57 percent disapproval.

With regard to the Democratic primary for the 2024 election, the data shows that 62 percent of Democratic Primary voters support President Biden for re-election as the Democratic nominee. However, a notable 14 percent expressed support for Kennedy, while 21 percent remain undecided. These statistics highlight the potential for a competitive primary race within the Democratic Party, that is, if the party would hold primaries. As it stands, the DNC is upending the nominating process.

It is also worth noting that Biden and Trump are tied in a recent poll by YouGov and Yahoo News. They are both at 44 percent, while last month the same poll found 47 percent support for Biden to 41 percent for Trump. 

DNC's neglect doesn't seem to work

Polling produced in August by OddsChecker, an online betting platform, place RFK, Jr. in fourth place as a top-ranking Democratic candidate. 

The online betting platform is a space for people to pool money into other betting opportunities. 

The results indicate that despite often being rejected by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as a legitimate Democratic candidate, Kennedy is proving critics wrong, as he continues to ascend as a favorite among voters. 

Voters and supporters believe Kennedy will continue to climb in the polls, although they also believe he needs the endorsement of the Democratic Party.

However, Kennedy has generated a significant following and has proven he has the ability to connect with voters in ways other candidates do not. An intimate piece written by Teddy Macker, a poet and freelance writer, explains how Kennedy shares personal experiences and hardships, revealing a compassionate side that resonates with voters. 

Empathy for the struggles of working and middle-class Americans is something the Biden administration and campaign lack. As Kennedy’s numbers climbed in July, a CNBC poll showed Biden’s numbers to be lower than Trump’s ever were, particularly with regard to the economy.

As the United States continues down the path of a bleak bipartisan divide, a trend Kennedy is working hard to shift, individual candidates remain on one side or the other, with Biden and Trump representing the two extremes of the political spectrum. 

Kennedy demonstrates his willingness to bridge the nation’s political divisions with a campaign of inclusivity and he is challenging the two-party binary.

As far as betting platforms go, this race is far from over. Remember, in early 2016, ElectionBettingOdds.com had Hillary Clinton winning 50.5 percent in the general election, with Trump getting only 14.1 percent.