RFK Jr. consistently polls at 20% against Biden.

RFK Jr. Poses Serious Challenge to Biden in Democratic Primaries

When a USA Today poll last month found Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination garnering 14 percent support, President Joe Biden’s team scoffed at the challenge. However, recent polls show that the Biden campaign may have underestimated Kennedy’s popularity.

Strong Poll Numbers

An Emerson College poll last month found Kennedy at 21 percent to Biden’s 70 percent. Both a Fox News poll and a Rasmussen Reports poll, meanwhile, found Kennedy at 19 percent to Biden’s 62 percent. The only other candidate, self-help author Marianne Williamson, has around 7 percent.

Kennedy’s consistent poll numbers could pose a serious headache for Biden. Incumbent presidents rarely see serious competition in the primaries, and when serious challengers do arise, they often cost the incumbent reelection.

Unpopular Incumbent

Like Carter, Biden is an unpopular incumbent. A majority of Democrats say they don’t want the 80-year-old president to run again, with his approval rating among all Americans recently cratering to near-record lows.

Baggage and Surprising Strength

Kennedy has his own baggage, including anti-vaccine activism and vocal support from notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. His surprising strength in the polls nevertheless shows that even Biden’s 2020 supporters are “open to other Democrats,” Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos said last month.

Establishment Democrats and left-wing publications ridiculed Kennedy’s first round of good polling, but recent poll numbers show that Kennedy’s threat to Biden is not inflated.

Conclusion

With Kennedy consistently polling at 20 percent against Biden, the Democratic primaries could be more competitive than expected. Only time will tell if Kennedy can follow in his uncle’s footsteps and cost the incumbent reelection.

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