Those who intend to vote for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the 2024 election are split in terms of their views being more aligned with President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump, according to a poll.
A Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey, conducted exclusively for Newsweek, asked 3,500 eligible voters a series of questions related to hot-topic issues that could help define the winner of the 2024 election.
The results show that while those who say they will be backing Kennedy are more closely linked to Trump supporters in terms of their views on the economy, by far the issue voters consider the most important. Kennedy supporters also appear to be more in line with Biden supporters in terms of issues such as abortion rights.
Kennedy, who ran as a Democrat before switching to longshot independent hopeful, is seen as a potential spoiler for Trump and Biden in November with the ability to siphon votes from both candidates.
Kennedy, the son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, has the family name of a Democratic dynasty, combined with a long history of environmental activism. He is also a known anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and recently called Biden a "worse" threat to democracy than Trump.
Below, Newsweek looks at where Kennedy supporters align in terms of their views on hot-topic issues based on the results of the Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey.
Economy
When voters were asked what the number one issue facing the country is right now, the economy was the clear leader with 58 percent.
When the results are broken down further, 14 percent of those who said they will be voting for Kennedy in November said the economy is heading in the right direction, with 61 percent saying it is heading in the wrong direction.
This is similar to Trump supporters, with only 11 percent believing the country's economy is heading in the right direction, with 75 percent saying it is going in the wrong direction.
A total of 51 percent of Biden voters said the country's economy is improving after the previous decades-high levels of inflation came down and gas prices also fell.
A majority Kennedy supporters (54 percent) and Trump supporters (63 percent) also said their financial situation has gotten worse in the last year, compared to 27 percent of Biden supporters.
Immigration
Immigration (29 percent) was considered the fourth-most-important issue facing the country right now, according to the poll.
The results show Kennedy supporters are more satisfied (29 percent) with how the government is controlling illegal immigration than Biden supporters (22 percent).
However, more Kennedy supporters (47 percent) said they were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the government's approach to illegal immigration, compared to 64 percent of Trump supporters who say this, and 29 percent of Biden supporters.
A majority of Kennedy supporters (64 percent) and Trump supporters (75 percent) said they do not believe that the U.S. has control of its borders.
Health Care
Health care and abortion rights are key issues leading up to November's election in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022.
In terms of party positions on abortion rights, significantly more Kennedy supporters said they would lean toward the Democratic position (65 percent) than they would the GOP's position (18 percent).
With regards to their views on abortion, nine percent of Kennedy supporters said the procedure is morally wrong, compared to 13 percent of Biden supporters and 35 percent of those who plan on voting for Trump.
When asked which level of government should determine the laws surrounding abortion, the most popular answer for Kennedy (41 percent) and Biden supporters (50 percent) was the federal government.
More than half (52 percent) of Trump supporters believe that individual states should decide on their own laws regarding abortion access.
Foreign Affairs
Regarding to the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kennedy supporters (38 percent) are more aligned with Trump supporters (43 percent) in saying they disapprove of the U.S. has handled the war, compared to 12 percent of Biden supporters.
Nearly half (49 percent) of Kennedy supporters believe the U.S should reconsider its support of Ukraine as the war continues, compared to 40 percent of Trump supporters and 29 percent of Biden supporters.
Kennedy supporters are also less inclined to believe the U.S. should continue supporting Israel amid its war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. A total of 42 percent of Kennedy supporters said the U.S should reconsider its level of support in the war, almost the same level as Biden supporters at 41 percent.
More Kennedy supporters (27 percent) believe the U.S should end its support of Israel during the war now than Biden or Trump supporters (both 18 percent).
Elsewhere, fewer Kennedy voters (42) percent say they are proud of America's history than Trump voters (73 percent) or Biden voters (56 percent).
More than one-third of Kennedy voters, 35 percent, also said they are ashamed of America's past, slightly more than the 30 percent of Biden supporters. Only 16 percent of Trump voters say they are ashamed of America's history.
The Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll was conducted on July 15 among 3,500 eligible voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.66 percent.
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About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
