A new national poll shows President Biden narrowly leading former President Trump, but the survey found that Trump benefits from the inclusion of independent and third-party candidates.
a Quinnipiac University PollIn a head-to-head contest between prospective candidates from the major parties, Mr. Biden had an approval rating of 48%, compared to 45% for Mr. Trump, according to a poll released Wednesday. These numbers reflect a slight change from February, when the same poll showed Biden leading Trump by 49% to 45%.
But this poll highlights the threat of third-party spoiler candidates to Biden. When the question was extended to independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and third-party candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West, Mr. Trump narrowly trailed Mr. Biden 39-38. According to the poll, Mr. Kennedy Jr. has an approval rating of 13%, Mr. Stein 4% and Mr. West 3%.
“It’s too close to call for a direct showdown, and it’ll get even closer once third-party candidates are counted,” said Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac University polling analyst. “I’m still a few months away from recovery, but this is as close as I can get.”
The poll was conducted March 21-25 among 1,407 registered voters nationwide and has a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.
The results reflect the latest indicators that Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden are likely headed for a close race in the general election. The latest polls of battleground states released Tuesday showed Mr. Biden closing the gap with Mr. Trump and even leading in Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that his running mate will be attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan. Mr. Shanahan could provide funding and support candidates’ efforts to get on the ballot in states where they need a running mate.
The move prompted a backlash from Democrats, who accused Kennedy of helping Republicans by continuing to run against Biden.
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