🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Amid concerns President Joe Biden may be hurting his chances in the 2024 election over third-party candidates, some Democrats are urging Biden to challenge independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. among other third-party candidates.
Biden and Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the GOP presidential primary, are continuing to campaign around the country as they both are likely to face each other in a rerun of the tumultuous 2020 presidential election. However, according to a recent CNN poll conducted by SSRS and released on February 1, Trump has a four-point lead, while YouGov recorded Trump ahead by one point in a poll of registered voters taken between January 24 and 30.
Meanwhile, Kennedy Jr., the former Democratic Party candidate who in October changed his party affiliation in an attempt to contend for the 2024 election, has previously emerged as Biden's closest challenger for the 2024 Democratic Party since announcing his White House bid in April. Despite his party affiliation, Kennedy has received a sympathetic hearing from many conservatives, thanks to his coronavirus vaccine skepticism, with Fox News star Sean Hannity describing him as the Democrats' "best option" to beat Biden.
However, on Wednesday, Jim Kessler, a Democratic strategist with Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank, warned Biden about the potential impact third-party candidates can have on the election, specifically regarding the possible votes for Trump.
"There are strong opinions on both candidates, but the negative opinions about Donald Trump among a large number of Americans are nothing like any candidate has experienced and have been able to turn that into a win. So what Donald Trump needs is third-party candidates to siphon off the anti-Trump coalition," Kessler told Newsweek via phone.
"Spoiler third-party candidates are an essential ingredient for any Trump win, and that is why they have been silent about No Labels and RFK," Kessler added.
Newsweek has reached out to Biden's campaign and Trump's campaign via email for comment.
Kessler told Newsweek via phone Biden still has time to address those who may be considering a third party candidate, but stresses Biden makes the distinction that a vote for a third party candidate is a vote for Trump.
"There's a long time between now and November, so he'll have plenty of time, but he needs to make clear that a vote for a third-party candidate is not a protest vote, it is a Trump vote. And if you care about democracy, if you care about normalcy in America, don't vote for a third-party candidate," Kessler told Newsweek.
"These third party candidates are dangerous...So this is a danger and a warning. These third-party candidates have no chance of winning the race, they will not come close to the 270 electoral college votes they need to wi,n and so their only role is to be a spoiler," Kessler added.
Fears over whether independent contenders could take away support for Biden's reelection bid come after last month's Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll, in a hypothetical match-up, saw Trump's lead rise slightly to 8 points with Kennedy added into the mix. In that hypothetical three-way race, Trump scored 41 percent to Biden's 33 percent, while Kennedy raked in 18 percent.
With independent candidate Cornel West and the Green Party's Jill Stein also added to the ticket alongside Kennedy, Trump's lead over Biden climbed to 11 points, with 42 percent to the incumbent's 31 percent.
In addition, polling has also indicated that American voters are displeased with both major-party frontrunners. Sixty-seven percent of 1,250 respondents to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll said they were "tired of seeing the same candidates in the presidential elections and want someone new."
However, Kessler notes this is not new, but that warns that there are only two options and those displeased with the options have to decide.
"It's not the first time a large number of Americans, particularly at this point in an election, are not thrilled with the two top choices of the party. The reality is there are two outcomes to this race, either Donald Trump is president or Joe Biden, there is not a third option, so you're going to have to make a choice. What is best for America? What is best for Democracy?" Kessler told Newsweek.
Mark Weaver, a Republican strategist, previously told Newsweek in October that he expects Kennedy to pull more from Biden than from Trump in a hypothetical matchup.
"Although it's a close call...There are more movable voters in Biden's camp who would never move towards Trump than the reverse," Weaver said. "While core Republicans view Kennedy more favorably than core Democrats, that's a short-term effect due to Kennedy's heterodox views on a few issues. But those people, in the end, are still likely to vote for Trump."
fairness meter
About the writer
Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more