Former President Donald Trump widened his lead over President Joe Biden in a head-to-head matchup by 1 point and is winning by 6 points in a three-way race with newly-independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a Monday poll.
Trump is beating Biden 46% to 41%, with 14% being undecided, which is up from 44% to 40% in September, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris survey. In a three-way race with Kennedy garnering 19% of the share, Trump held 39% support compared to Biden’s 33%, with 9% remaining undecided. (RELATED: An Independent RFK Jr. Candidacy Could Upend The Presidential Race: POLL)
The former president’s margin increases by 2 points against Biden in a four-way matchup with Kennedy and Cornel West, who garnered 3% support, according to the poll. For a head-to-head matchup, a three-way and a four-way race, Trump is leading the field among independent voters at 39%, 31% and 31% respectively.
MIAMI, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 12: Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign event “Declare Your Independence Celebration” at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images)
Kennedy believes that “the most striking result” of the survey is that 68% of Democrats, 57% of Republicans and 78% of independents say that the country needs an alternative to Trump and Biden, he told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. The candidate also pointed to his net favorability being higher than both Trump and Biden’s.
“I will do everything I can to live up to the public’s positive impression,” Kennedy told the DCNF. “I’ll do that by conducting a campaign that is courteous and respectful and that speaks to the good in people. I’ll listen to the best of what liberals and conservatives have to offer. Because I think that this desire for another choice besides Biden and Trump is also saying something much deeper. It is a rejection of a divisive, us-versus-them politics. We have to change the reflex of labeling our opponents as horrible people. First because they aren’t horrible people. Second, because it creates artificial divisions, and our times call for the kind of changes that only a unified public can accomplish.”
Another survey released Monday, conducted by USA Today/Suffolk University, suggests that Trump and Biden are tied with 41% support for a 2024 rematch, but the former president would lose by 1 point with Kennedy in the mix at 14%. West’s candidacy helps Trump’s chances against Biden at 41% to 39% to 7%, and Trump and Biden are tied at 37% support in a four-way race with both third-party candidates.
An early October Reuters/Ipsos survey found that Kennedy would siphon off votes from both Trump and Biden, with the independent candidate receiving 14% support. Trump beat Biden by 2 points in the three-way race, with 9% saying they wouldn’t vote and 13% remaining unsure.
The RealClearPolitics average for a 2024 national Republican and Democratic primary, based on the most recent polling, indicates Trump and Biden are leading their respective fields at 59.1% and 70.3%, respectively. Kennedy recently switched his campaign’s party affiliation from Democrat to independent on Oct. 9, and West, who previously was running for the Green Party nomination, is also running as an independent.
The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll surveyed 2,116 registered voters from Oct. 18 to Oct. 19 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2%.
Trump, Biden and West did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.