burger caret-down caret-right Shape Copy close Group 19 Group 16 Group 17 document-add Material/Icons white/Edit or Create Combined Shape Shape Group 10 Group 4 Page 1 Group 7 Fill 1 Group Group 31 Group 21 Copy Combined Shape Shape

ICYMI: Kennedy Jr.’s Popularity Decreasing, But Threat Remains

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As more and more voters are learning about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s extreme views, his favorability rates are lagging, dropping to 35% from 42% last June.  

From championing far-right policies and conspiracy theories linking vaccines to autism to supporting a 15-week abortion ban to advocating for corporate interests instead of the environment, it’s no surprise that voters are turning on Kennedy Jr. 

However, recent polling from Quinnipiac University and Marquette University Law School also showed that Kennedy Jr. could receive the second-highest vote share of any independent or third-party White House candidate in the past half-century. 

So despite his plummeting popularity, Kennedy Jr. still poses a significant problem for President Biden’s reelection campaign.

Read Newsweek’s coverage of Kennedy’s drop in support here and key excerpts below:

Newsweek: RFK Jr.’s Popularity Has Collapsed

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s popularity has plummeted in the past year, polls have shown.

According to polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight, Kennedy, the son of former Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, has seen his favorability rating decline from 42.1% on June 4, 2023, to 35.3% on June 4, 2024. It’s a change from a net score of +15.5% favorable to -6.6% unfavorable in 12 months.

Similar data from The Hill showed that on June 4, 2023, Kennedy had a 42.3% favorability rating and a 25.2% unfavorability rating. One year later, 48.4% of people rated him as unfavorable, while 33.4% rated him favorably.

He has a strong anti-vaccine stance and reported support of conspiracy theories, such as the unsubstantiated beliefs that COVID-19 targets certain races, the 2004 presidential election was stolen by voter fraud, and that there’s a link between mass shootings and prescription drugs.

Some experts have said that his candidacy could harm Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, when voters head to the polls.

###

MoveOn is celebrating 25 years of people-powered progress this year. For more than a generation, MoveOn has built independent political power and mobilized the left to elect Democrats and enact progressive change. MoveOn is a bulwark against the radical right, channeling our collective voices to drive progressive foreign policy, protect democracy, and advance justice for all.

Just a heads up!

You are being redirected to MoveOnEducationFund.Org

By clicking below, you will be directed to a website operated by MoveOn Education Fund, an independent 501(c)(3) entity.

Just a heads up!

You are being redirected to MoveOnEducationFund.Org

By clicking below, you will be directed to a website operated by MoveOn Education Fund, an independent 501(c)(3) entity.