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, accordingto 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.
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.
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, Kennedy and West did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
Mary Lou Masters on October 23, 2023
