Amid national polling that shows former President Donald Trump and Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris locked in a tight race, both candidates are seeking an advantage to help pave their way to victory on Nov. 5.
A new survey obtained by the Washington Examiner found that supporters of former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might be just the edge for which the former president has been looking.
After dropping out of the presidential race, Kennedy endorsed Trump and called on his supporters to back his former Republican rival.
The poll, released by American Values '24 and John Zogby Strategies, two groups that reportedly polled for and backed Kennedy, the poll found Trump with a 22-point lead over Harris among Kennedy supporters.
In five of the six battleground states surveyed, former Kennedy voters say they prefer Trump over Harris by double-digit margins, ranging from 20 points in Georgia to 39 points in Michigan.
"This means that the Kennedy Cohort will play a decisive factor in determining the eventual winner of the 2024 presidential election," a Kennedy associate told the Examiner.
Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race in August when he said it became clear he had no path to victory. According to the Pew Research Center, he had the support of 7% of voters when he ended his campaign.
In exchange for Kennedy's endorsement, Trump has indicated he would be open to appointing the environmental lawyer to a key position upon his return to the White House.
With his endorsement of Trump, Kennedy bucked his family's staunch historical support of the Democratic Party, taking significant heat from the storied Kennedy dynasty for his decision to reject Harris' candidacy.
"This comprehensive poll shows RFK Jr. continues to play a major role in our political landscape after suspending his 1 1/2-year tenure in the thick of the political arena," Jeremy Zogby, managing partner of John Zogby Strategies, told the Examiner.
"Democrat-leaning journalists have asked me how they could pick up a critical mass of his support," Zogby said. "I tell them they should start by taking Kennedy more seriously. The DNC may have made a big mistake by not taking him more seriously."
In the new survey, 56% of Kennedy supporters said they back Trump, compared with 34% who said the same for Harris. Of the those who have not committed to Trump, one-third said they would be "open" to voting for him in November.
The battleground state polls were conducted Sept. 23-26. The Arizona poll surveyed 701 Kennedy voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points. The Georgia poll surveyed 802 Kennedy voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.
The Michigan poll surveyed 785 Kennedy voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points. The Nevada poll surveyed 501 Kennedy voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points. The Pennsylvania poll surveyed 915 Kennedy voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points. The Wisconsin poll surveyed 690 Kennedy voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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