Robert F. Kennedy Jr. currently has the support of around 14 percent of Joe Biden voters for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.
The survey, carried out by USA TODAY and Suffolk University, found that only 67 percent of Biden voters would prefer him as their candidate, compared with 14 percent for Kennedy and 13 percent for self-help author Marianne Williamson.
The figures represent a surprising strength for Kennedy, who despite boasting a famous political name has no political experience and is best known for his staunch opposition to vaccines, which he claims cause autism in young children.
The polling data also underlines the potential weakness of Joe Biden’s potential candidacy for 2024, which if successful would see him leaving office at the age of 86.
“In 2020, Joe Biden received more votes than any other president in U.S. history, yet the poll tells us that those same voters are open to other Democrats to wage a spirited primary,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “Kennedy, although a long shot at this point, starts in double digits and can’t be ignored.”
Kennedy garnered the backing of 33% of Biden supporters who express dissatisfaction with the president’s performance, as well as 35% of those who believe his policies have been too left-wing. The challenger’s appeal resonated most with self-identified conservatives, younger voters, and those without a college degree.
The son of the late Robert F. Kennedy Sr., who was assassinated during his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968, and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, the 69-year-old has gained recognition for his work as an environmental lawyer and campaigner against climate change.
Kennedy first announced his candidacy earlier this month, before launching his official his campaign at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston on Wednesday. His most notable supporter present was Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic presidential candidate who represented Ohio’s 10th Congressional District from 1997 to 2013. Other speakers included Kennedy’s wife, Cheryl Hines, who is also an acclaimed actress.
“I am not an ideal presidential candidate,” he told the crowd. “I’m not one of these people who said I have to be careful because one day I’m going to be in the White House.”
“My mission over the next 18 months of this campaign and throughout my presidency will be to end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that is threatening now to impose a new kind of corporate feudalism in our country,” he continued.
During his address, Kennedy slammed former President Donald Trump for his embrace of lockdown policies and coronavirus vaccines, which Kennedy believes to be unsafe. “The worst thing he did to this country and our civil rights, and the economy and the middle class was the lockdown,” Kennedy said.
He also spoke of potential rifts with his family, some of whom have publicly denounced his political views and activism. “Many of them plainly disagree with me on issues like censorship, war and public health and they are entitled to their beliefs,” he added.
