RFK Jr.’s Backing of Trump Appears To Have Had Scant Immediate Impact on Swing States

Harris leads in six of seven following DNC and Kennedy endorsement: poll

AP/Ross D. Franklin
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, shakes hands with President Trump at a campaign rally August 23, 2024, at Glendale, Arizona. AP/Ross D. Franklin

New polling shows Vice President Harris leading President Trump in six of seven swing states, with attorney Robert Kennedy Jr.’s decision to endorse Trump having little to no apparent effect on the head-to-head.

Wisconsin saw Ms. Harris’s strongest lead among registered voters, 8 points, followed by Nevada and Pennsylvania where she leads Trump by 4 points in each state, according to a new survey by Bloomberg and Morning Consult.

In Michigan, Ms. Harris led by 3 points and in Georgia and North Carolina, Ms. Harris led by 2 points in each state. The two were tied in Arizona at 48 percent support each.

The surveys appear to show Ms. Harris enjoying a continued run of success through the Democratic National Convention held last week, though it’s worth noting that the results were inside the poll’s margin of error in every state except Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

“Kamala Harris did not get a convention bump because she got a bump at the beginning of her campaign. Her bump was her campaign launch,” Morning Consult politics analyst, Eli Yokley, said. “What we have seen continue since she got in the race is substantial positive coverage breaking through to voters. The buzz around her campaign is very positive.”

Across the states bundled together, Ms. Harris enjoys a 2 point advantage over Trump, a lead that is outside the margin of error for the seven states collectively.

The survey also found that Mr. Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump did not appear to have an immediate effect on the race, which had been a question since he dropped last week. Ahead of his decision to leave the race, Mr. Kennedy had enjoyed about 5 percent support in polling averages.

The survey contacted 4,962 registered voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 1 point across the seven states, with the margin of error varying in each state.

While some of Ms. Harris’s improved numbers are due to a dramatic increase in Democratic enthusiasm, Ms. Harris has also closed the gap with Trump on some key economic issues.

For instance, Ms. Harris led Trump by 7 points in terms of who voters trusted to help the middle class and in terms of who respondents said they trusted on taxes, Ms. Harris only trailed Trump by 2 points.

At the same time, Ms. Harris has gained ground on issues like immigration, where Trump leads in terms of trust by 14 points, 53 percent to 39 percent.

She’s also held steady on abortion, where she leads Trump in terms of trust on the issue by 21 points among respondents, 55 percent to 34 percent.

On the topic of protecting personal freedom respondents also preferred Ms. Harris over Trump by 5 points, signaling that the Democratic effort to reclaim the word at their convention has gained  traction.


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