A new poll shows that self-help author Marianne Williamson and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have reached double-digit levels of support, making them serious contenders against President Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential candidacy.
If the Democratic presidential primary were held today, 65% of those polled by Change Research would vote for Biden, 11% would choose Williamson, and 11% would choose Kennedy. Eleven percent weren’t committed.
Williamson and RFK Jr. have criticized the Democratic Party for preventing primary debates, and the last RealClearPolitics polling average showed Biden with a 45-point lead over his competitors.
Kennedy stated earlier this month that not holding debates is bad optics — particularly when so many Americans are worried that the system is rigged against them, that democracy is broken, and that the elections don’t mean anything.
He said for the Democratic Party to take the position that they will name the nominee rather than the people is like the Soviet Union.
Positive news for Biden can be found in the Change Research poll, which shows that the president would defeat the two most prominent Republican opponents, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in a head-to-head fight, 47% to 43%.
Only 42% of respondents said they approved of President Biden, while 56% said they didn’t.
The survey found that 19% of respondents believe Trump has the best chance, 19% believe DeSantis has the best opportunity, and 27% believe both men have an equal probability of defeating Biden in the general election.
Six months after Trump’s presidential campaign began, Biden said he would be running for reelection. During a Twitter Spaces online event on Wednesday, DeSantis will meet with Twitter CEO Elon Musk to launch his presidential candidacy.
President Biden will be 86 years old when he leaves the White House if elected for a second time. Already at the age of 80, he holds the record for the oldest U.S. president.
