Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential bid backed by 14 percent of Biden voters: survey

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to announce his bid as a 2024 Democratic presidential nominee on Wednesday in Boston, and he already appears to have sizable support from voters who cast their ballot for President Biden in 2020. 

In a USA Today/Suffolk University poll, 14 percent of surveyed voters who backed President Biden in 2020 said they would support Kennedy in 2024.

Biden’s support among his own 2020 voters stands at 67 percent, according to the survey. Additionally, 5 percent of voters said they would support self-help author Marianne Williamson and 13 percent remained undecided.  

According to the poll, Kennedy — the nephew of former President Kennedy and son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy — drew support from “self-identified conservatives, younger voters, and those who don’t have a college degree.”

He also polled well among the 33 percent of respondents who disapprove of Biden’s job in the White House and the 35 percent who said his policies have been “too liberal.”

Kennedy has become a controversial figure in recent years for promoting claims that falsely link vaccines to autism and crusading against COVID-19 vaccines. He founded the anti-vaccine organization Children’s Health Defense. 

Kennedy’s stances have, at times, caused his family to denounce his views, including over his support for the release of Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated his father in 1968. 

Kennedy joins an ever-growing field of 2024 hopefuls. In addition to Williamson and Biden, who has not officially announced a reelection campaign, Republican candidates include former President Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. 

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (R) has launched an exploratory committee, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and former Vice President Mike Pence (R) are also considering White House bids.