Kennedy was viewed favorably by 49 percent of the respondents, which translates to a net favorability rating of 19 points. He was seen as unfavorable by 30 percent.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, who is currently the frontrunner among Republican candidates, had 45 percent and 43 percent of the respondents view them in a favorable way.
Biden’s net favorability rating was minus 7 while Trump had a minus 10 net favorability rating.
Three percent of the poll’s respondents were unsure of their opinion of Biden and Trump while 21 percent were uncertain about Kennedy.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott had the second-highest net favorability ratings of all candidates at 8 points.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was seen favorably by 26 percent and unfavorably by 19 percent. Scott was viewed favorably by 33 percent of the respondents, and unfavorably by 25 percent.
Bipartisan Support
Kennedy is drawing bipartisan support in the early stages of his campaign.Poll results showed that Republicans and conservatives had more favorable views toward him than Democrats and liberals.
“[Kennedy] is the only Democrat who can reach across the political spectrum, which means he can win in 2024,” said Dennis Kucinich, the former Ohio congressman and two-time Democratic presidential candidate who is Kennedy’s campaign manager, to The Epoch Times.
“Conservatives, liberals, independents, and libertarians are responding to this campaign because of the unique qualities of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and because there is an understanding he stands for unity, freedom, truth, and authenticity,” Kucinich added. “That is what’s resonating with people.”
Kennedy is the son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy and late Sen. Ted Kennedy.
An environmental attorney and the founder of Children’s Health Defense, Kennedy is widely known for his outspoken stances about the dangers of the COVID-19 vaccines to some in the population who were forced to take them, and of vaccines in general.
Kennedy has widely talked about the negative impact of COVID pandemic lockdowns, and he’s a vocal opponent of the pharmaceutical industry’s influence on the government.
He is also a vocal opponent of Big Tech censorship.
He differs from President Joe Biden and progressive Democrats on multiple issues.
When asked about his stance on the Second Amendment, he said, “I believe in the Constitution, and I’m not going to take everybody’s guns away.
“I had two family members who were killed by gunfire, so I understand the anguish and the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. We must figure out a way to deal with it, but talking about taking people’s guns away at this point in history is not a solution.”
Kennedy also has a more conservative than liberal stance regarding the border crisis.
“We have to stop the crisis at the border. We have to seal our borders. No nation can exist If you don’t control [illegal] immigration,” he told The Epoch Times.
“There’s a lot of different options. The Israelis are using technology to control their borders and doing it very successfully because they have the same problem with African immigration. I want to talk to all the stakeholders before we develop a policy, but I’m going to seal the border.”
Meanwhile, his stance on abortion is one that aligns with the Biden administration.
“I can argue there’s nobody in this country that has worked harder for the rights of medical freedom and personal bodily autonomy than me,” he said. “That applies to the vaccines and abortion.
“I don’t think the government should be telling us what to do with our bodies and dictating for Americans what we can and cannot do in the first three months of pregnancy. It’s a woman’s choice.”
A Harvard Center for American Political Studies-Harris Poll released on June 16 showed Kennedy with 15 percent of support in a sample of the party’s primary voters, and 21 percent of the participants said they have a positive view of him.
‘A Sugar High’
David Carlucci is a former New York state legislator and Democratic political strategist. He calls the support for Kennedy a “sugar high” that will eventually drop.“He is a name people think they kind of know. But once primary voters learn what he stands for, I don’t think they will like him,” Carlucci told The Epoch Times. “His stances are out of line with the Democratic party. I don’t think he will win a primary head-to-head against Biden.”
Ohio-based Republican strategist Wes Farno believes that Kennedy’s poll numbers reflect the Democratic party’s discontent about Biden’s job performance.
“Joe Biden can say what he wants, but the proof is what Americans feel every day,” Farno told The Epoch Times. “The economy is in bad shape, expenses are so high that many people are struggling who weren’t before, the country is divided, and there is a border crisis that is affecting not just the border states, but the entire country. None of that happened until Biden took office.
“I do think that the Democratic party will do what it takes for him to be nominated, but when you talk to most Americans, they want a candidate who will deliver results,” Farno added. “Biden has shown he is not that person, so likely that is why a well-known name like Kennedy is getting attention.”
Some Democrats believe that Kennedy’s early polling numbers will motivate another candidate to enter the party’s primary, though the Democratic National Committee voted to offer its full support to Biden at its winter meeting earlier this year.
Carlucci believes that high-profile Democrats have been reluctant to enter the race because they don’t want to “damage the party or their base.”
“Trump has his former vice president running against him, and several Republicans running against him. Democrats are showing they are far more united than Republicans,” Carlucci said. “Noone is as strong as Joe Biden in the Democratic party right now. It would be damaging to a Democratic presidency and their own brand if other candidates get in the race.”
