Robert F Kennedy Jr surges past heavyweights Trump and Biden in favorable rating in bombshell poll
WASHINGTON, DC: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr just muscled his way past the usual Washington heavyweights in a fresh Harvard-Harris survey that includes President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, billionaire Elon Musk, and Vice President JD Vance.
The nationwide poll was conducted December 2–4 among 2,204 registered voters. Kennedy was one of only two figures in the whole lineup pulling off a net positive score.
The survey showed Kennedy sitting at 43% favorable and 40% unfavorable, a slim but positive 3-point margin. The only other figure that eked out a positive score was Vice President JD Vance, who landed at a 1-point positive margin.
All underwater in the approval tank
While Kennedy is getting pats on the back from voters, the usual suspects on the national stage seem to be catching elbows.
According to the survey, Trump and Musk logged negative margins, albeit just barely.
On the other hand, Biden face-planted into a double-digit negative gap between favorable and unfavorable views.
Several other marquee names got dinged. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Governor Gavin Newsom both sank into negative territory.
But the biggest bruises were saved for two regulars at the bottom of these lists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was buried under a negative 53% net rating, while Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro nursed a negative 20%.
Meanwhile, Biden and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer scored negative 11% and negative 16%, respectively.
RFK Jr is America’s unexpected middle-ground favorite
Kennedy’s surprisingly strong standing hints at a brewing curiosity across party lines. Voters who can’t stand partisan giants seem unusually open to the idea of someone who isn’t constantly lobbing grenades across the aisle.
While Trump and Biden continue to inspire impassioned reactions from their critics, Kennedy is floating somewhere closer to the center lane. It is a calm buffer zone that lets him rack up a positive score even in a highly charged political environment.
Meanwhile, the Health Secretary has been a constant fixture in the news cycle. A vaccine advisory panel under his direction recently voted to overhaul long-standing childhood hepatitis B vaccination recommendations.
Furthermore, the Department of Health and Human Services, which he oversees, has opened an inquiry into claims that a school vaccinated a child without parental consent.
These hot-button issues keep Kennedy smack in the middle of national debates, and it seems voters are noticing.
Trump’s approval has ticked up, but not enough to catch RFK Jr
The Harvard-Harris survey also took America’s temperature on Trump’s performance back in the White House.
According to the poll, Trump’s overall approval nudged up to 47% in December, climbing from a year-low 44% the month before. Breaking it down, 37% strongly disapprove, 27% strongly approve, 20% somewhat approve, 12% somewhat disapprove, and 4% are still scratching their heads when it comes to the sitting President.
The Harvard Harris survey reported a margin of error of +/- 1.99 percentage points.
