Support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s independent presidential bid has fallen noticeably since President Joe Biden on Sunday announced he was dropping out of the 2024 race, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris instead, according to two recent polls.
An Ipsos/Reuters survey of 992 registered voters conducted July 22-23 put Kennedy at 8 percent in a three-way contest against Harris and former President Donald Trump, down from the 11 percent he scored with the pollster on July 16. Separately, a Big Village Caravan poll of 2,016 U.S. adults from July 22-24 put Kennedy at 6.7 percent, versus the 9.2 percent he scored when the same question was asked July 12-14.
Biden’s decision to stand down from the 2024 contest followed weeks of pressure from within his own party, which intensified significantly following his presidential debate with Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, on June 27. At times during the debate, Biden, 81, appeared to lose his train of thought mid-sentence, sparking renewed scrutiny of his age and mental acumen.
After Biden announced he was withdrawing from the race on Sunday, prominent Democrats swiftly coalesced around Harris, who has secured the backing of enough Democratic National Convention delegates to official secure the nomination.
The July 22-23 Ipsos/Reuters poll asked registered voters who they would back in a hypothetical three-way contest between Harris, Trump and Kennedy. It found Harris leading with 42 percent, followed by Trump with 38 percent and Kennedy’s 8 percent.
The Big Village Caravan survey added two candidates, independent Cornel West and the Green Party’s Jill Stein. It put Trump ahead on 38.2 percent, followed by Harris with 37.6 percent, Kennedy with 6.7 percent, Stein’s 1.4 percent and West’s 1.2 percent.
Newsweek contacted Kennedy’s presidential campaign for comment via email.
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Kennedy, a noted environmental campaigner and coronavirus vaccine skeptic, initially competed for the Democratic presidential nominee but in October switched to run as an independent.
Over the past few weeks, Kennedy has struggled to capture media attention against the backdrop of an attempted assassination of Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, Trump’s selection of Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate and Biden pulling out of the contest.
Citing multiple sources, Politico reported Kennedy held a private meeting with Trump in Milwaukee on July 15, in which he reportedly discussed dropping out of the race and endorsing the Republican nominee.
This claim was denied by Kennedy campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear, who said: “Yes, Mr. Kennedy met with President Trump today to discuss national unity, and he hopes to meet with leaders of the Democratic Party as well.
“And no he is not dropping out of the race. He is the only pro-environment, pro-choice, anti-war candidate who beats Donald Trump in head-to-head polls.”
According to Politico, Kennedy has canceled several campaign events in the past few weeks, including an appearance at the National Press Club in Washington and a visit to a farm in Wisconsin.
Following the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, during which the gunman and a rally spectator were shot dead, Biden ordered the Secret Service to extend its protection to Kennedy, who lost his father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and uncle, President John F. Kennedy, to assassinations.
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