Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other third-party candidates appear to be hurting President Joe Biden and boosting former President Donald Trump in votes in four key battleground states, according to a poll released Thursday.
With Kennedy, independent Cornel West and Green Party candidate Jill Stein on the ballot, Trump has widened his lead over Biden among voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina. according to The Cook Political Report/BSG/GS Strategy Group poll found that Trump and Biden remained close in five-way races in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, but the former president’s nine-point lead in Nevada narrowed by one point.
With Kennedy and other third-party candidates included in the poll, Trump’s lead in Arizona grows from 1 point to 4 points, in Michigan from 2 points to 3 points, in Georgia from 3 points to 4 points, and in North Carolina from 7 points to 8 points.
According to the poll, Mr. Kennedy won 10% support in Nevada, Arizona and Georgia, 7% in Pennsylvania and Michigan, 8% in North Carolina and 9% in Wisconsin. (Related article: RFK Jr. is poised to tip the scales in the presidential election, but it’s not yet clear who it is.)
Regardless of whether Kennedy or other third-party candidates appear on the ballot, Trump leads Biden in every battleground state except Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, both candidates were tied in both scenarios.
Nashua, New Hampshire – May 21: President Joe Biden speaks with attendees after speaking at the Westwood Park YMCA. (Photo: John Tully/Getty Images)
The Biden campaign, the Democratic National Committee and other outside groups say the presence of Kennedy and other third-party candidates on the ballot could siphon more votes from the president than from Trump. Concerns have led to stepped-up efforts to run against Kennedy and other third-party candidates in 2024.
The RealClearPolitics averages for each battleground state suggest that Trump’s lead over Biden would increase if Kennedy, West and Stein were on the ballot. Arizona, Nevada, wisconsin, pennsylvania, north carolina and georgiaConversely, the former president will lose out in the five-way race. Michigan.
Trump lost Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan in the last election. Winner Nevada voted Democratic both times, and Trump held North Carolina in 2016 and 2020.
The Cook Political Report/BSG/GS Strategy Group poll was conducted among 3,969 likely voters in seven battleground states from May 6 to May 13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.
The survey polled 730 respondents in Pennsylvania, 606 in Michigan, 601 in North Carolina, 600 in Georgia, 527 in Arizona, 503 in Wisconsin, and 402 in Nevada. The survey’s margin of error was plus or minus 3.6 percentage points in Pennsylvania, 4 percentage points in North Carolina, Michigan, and Georgia, 4.3 percentage points in Arizona, 4.4 percentage points in Wisconsin, and 4.9 percentage points in Nevada.
The Biden, Trump and Kennedy campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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