Robert Kennedy Jr. is polling ahead of President Joe Biden, and former President Donald Trump among voters under the age of 45 in key battleground states, according to a new poll from Sienna College and The New York Times.
The poll surveyed 3,662 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. It found that Kennedy — who recently ditched the Democratic Party to run as an independent — was favored by 24 percent of respondents in a three-way race between himself, Biden, and Trump. Among voters ages 18-29, Kennedy was selected by 34 percent of respondents against Biden (30 percent) and Trump (29 percent). For voters ages 30-44, Kennedy polled at 31 percent, with Biden and Trump both polling at 30 percent. Overall, among voters under the age of 45, Kennedy polled at 32 percent, Biden at 30 percent, and Trump at 29 percent.
The findings in the poll reflect another recent study conducted by Quinnipiac University, which surveyed 1,610 self-identified registered voters. The poll found Kennedy to be the leading candidate for respondents between the age of 18-36, securing 38 percent of the demographic compared to Biden (32 percent) and Trump (27 percent).
Polls are not prophecy, but the findings suggest that Kennedy is making more of an impact among swing-state voters, particularly young ones, than previously thought.
Kennedy — an environmental lawyer, vaccine conspiracy theorist, and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy has garnered plenty of intrigue since entering the race in April. His conspiratorial mindset and connections to conservative media and political figures didn’t resonate with the Democratic Party, however, prompting his independent turn last month.
The decision raised the hackles of some MAGA die-hards, who hyped up Kennedy’s candidacy in the hopes that he would siphon key independents away from Biden — and now find themselves playing defense to a third-party challenger they helped create.
