- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attracted more Republican-leaning donors than Democrats before announcing his independent run last month
- New polls continue to show him pulling away more supporters from former President Donald Trump than those from President Joe Biden
- Kennedy narrows Trump’s five-point lead over Biden to two points in a national poll of likely voters
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attracted more Republican-leaning donors than Democrats ahead of last month’s announcement that he would launch an independent presidential campaign.
And new polls show the ex-Democrat appears to be siphoning more support from former President Donald Trump than President Joe Biden.
A political analysis found that $2 million of Kennedy’s big-dollar donations through September 30 came from supporters who previously gave money to Republicans, while $1.4 million came from those who had previously contributed to Democrats.
Another $5.1 million came from small-dollar donations — individuals who gave less than $200 and therefore do not need to be tracked by the Federal Election Commission.
Kennedy raised $6.6 million — most of his money — from Americans who didn’t give money in the 2016 or 2020 cycles through ActBlue, the Democratic donor portal, or WinRed, the Republican one.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks last month during a campaign stop in Nashville, Tennessee. The former Democrat-turned-independent appears to be drawing more support from the Republican side of the aisle, according to new donor data and polling.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy had more donors with Republican than Democratic histories before announcing his independent presidential bid in early October, a Politico analysis found
These donations all came before Kennedy announced outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia on October 9 that he would run as an independent, not a Democrat, frustrating family members who have long been associated with the Democratic Party.
They feared he would play Biden a “spoiler,” but Kennedy’s long association with the anti-vaxx movement and push for strong border policies, among other issues, has some ex-Trump supporters joining him.
McLaughlin & Associates’ October survey confirms this.
If Trump and Biden are alone on the ballot, 48 percent of likely voters said they would vote for Trump, while 43 percent said Biden in the McLaughlin poll, released Thursday.
But Trump’s lead over Biden shrinks to two points when Kennedy is added to the equation — with 39 percent saying they would choose Trump, 37 percent backing Biden and Kennedy receiving the support of 14 percent.
When academic Cornel West, a progressive who has been politically aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders, appears on the ballot, Trump’s lead stretches to three points, indicating West is getting some support from Biden’s left.
In that scenario, Trump gets 38 percent, Biden 35 percent, Kennedy 12 percent and West just 2 percent of the support of likely voters.
Two surveys conducted around the time Kennedy announced his independent bid found him tying the race between Trump and Biden
Two previous polls, one conducted by Zogby and one by Fox News, showed Kennedy entering the race between Trump and Biden.
Various scenarios are being explored as it is unclear whether Kennedy and West’s names could appear on each state’s ballot.
West had initially said he would run for the Green Party, which would make entry into the election less challenging, but announced last month that he would simply run as an independent.
Kennedy is also running as an independent candidate, but has held talks with the Libertarian Party, which also has a safe place on states’ ballots.
Members of the Libertarian Party will hold a convention in May that will determine their 2024 presidential candidate.