RFK Jr. most popular among Republican and Hispanic voters: Poll

(NewsNation) – Voters disagree about independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s political leanings and plan to pay close attention to the presidential debates, according to the latest NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll released Wednesday.

A national survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted May 28-29. The overall results have a margin of error of approximately 3%, and the survey questions took the United States’ temperature on issues such as the economy, the presidential debates and the country’s perception of Kennedy.

The independent candidate trailed President Joe Biden and the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, but won the support of about 33% of voters, the poll found. About 45% said they had an unfavorable view of Kennedy, while another 22% of voters were unsure.

The research was conducted before a jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records. Since then, 10% of registered Republican voters have said they are less likely to vote for the former president, a separate figure Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

According to the NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll, Americans’ perceptions of Kennedy’s political views were also mixed. Thirty percent of respondents said his beliefs were moderate, while liberals saw him as more conservative and vice versa.

Independents, like Republicans, see the candidate as more liberal. For now, that division is working in his favor as he gains support from different groups, said Scott Tranter, director of data science at Decision Desk headquarters.

Although Kennedy is not qualified in enough states to win the presidency, “he will be a decision maker in terms of the candidate votes he takes away,” Tranter said.

“If he takes 4 or 5 points off Trump, or 4 or 5 points off Joe Biden in a state like Pennsylvania, that could make the difference in an election,” he said.

Kennedy remains most popular among Republican, Hispanic and young voters, poll results show.

Young voters are more likely to support Kennedy. Around 47% of respondents aged between 18 and 34 said they supported the candidate.

Forty-seven percent of Hispanic voters also expressed their support for Kennedy – the highest among all ethnicities surveyed.

As the country moves toward the 2024 election cycle, voters are eager to watch the presidential debates, where they will hear candidates’ views on the economy, poll results show.

About 78% of voters say they plan to watch the debate. This is especially true among Hispanic voters (89%), young voters (85%), and those who voted Republican (81%) or Democrat (80%).

However, voters expecting to hear from Kennedy at every debate may be disappointed. Kennedy filed a federal complaint in late May, alleging that the Biden and Trump campaigns conspired with CNN to prevent him from participating in upcoming television debates.

To this end, the majority of voters (65%) believe that independent and third-party candidates should be allowed to participate in debates.

They are divided, however, over whether they trust the debate moderators to treat the candidates fairly.

The majority of voters, 57%, believe the moderators will be fair, while 43% disagree. That’s not surprising given the American public’s overall decline in trust in the news media, Tranter said.

As for what the candidates should debate, American voters want to hear about the economy.

Overall, poll results show that 58% of voters say they live paycheck to paycheck. Compared to other age groups, those aged 18 to 34 face the greatest financial difficulties. Hispanic and African-American voters also face more hardship than their peers, with 78% and 68% of respondents cutting spending, respectively.

A plurality of voters blame Biden for the state of the economy. Forty-two percent of voters say Biden is responsible for the state of the economy. Nearly 30% of Democratic respondents believe that Republicans in Congress are most responsible for the current state of the economy, and just 24% blamed Biden. Republicans say the opposite is true.

Sixty-eight percent of Republican respondents said Biden was responsible for the economy, while 13% said Democrats in Congress were to blame.

“We’ve seen this in some external pockets where people say yes, I’m employed, but I feel like I’m making less than I was before,” Tranter said. “And that’s just because they’re making good money, but it’s not so good money anymore because the things they buy every day cost more.”