Good luck, Joep! 13 charts highlight the tough task of attracting RFK Jr. voters

Call him a kingmaker. Or call him a spoiler. RFK Jr. is a formidable force to be reckoned with in the 2024 elections. As we recently showed, Biden lost more to him than to Trump.

Here’s a sample of videos that reveal the underlying nervousness among Democrats, never-Trumpers, and commentators about RFK Jr.

Drucker: RFK Jr. is a spoiler and he could throw the election to Trump – video

Jim Messina: Al Gore and Hillary Lost Enough Third Party Votes While Losing the Election – Video

‘An old heroin addict’: The Lincoln Project releases new ad targeting RFK Jr. – Video

We take a closer look at RFK Jr.’s voters. better understand using our latest poll of 1,265 registered voters, completed in early April. The survey involved 118 voters who planned to vote for him in November. (The margin of error for sampling is +/- 9.2 percentage points. While a larger sample for analysis is ideal, we maximize what we have.)

Direction of the country

The voters of RFK Jr. are dissatisfied with the leadership of the country under Biden. Three-quarters say they are dissatisfied. About a third (35%) are Not satisfied at alland another 40% are not very satisfied. Only a quarter (24%) are satisfied.

Furthermore, three-quarters are dissatisfied with the country’s course in terms of morals and ethics. More than a third (38%) are Not satisfied at alland a similar 37% are not very satisfied. Only a fifth (20%) are satisfied.

Main issues

The economy, immigration and debt are the top issues for RFK Jr. voters.

Nearly half (47%) of them cited the economy as the country’s most important issue, followed by immigration/border security at 41 percent and national debt/government spending at 23 percent as their top concerns.

Interestingly enough, Democratic priorities like climate change (15%) and abortion (11%) are not among the top issues of RFK Jr. voters.

Biden’s performance

Biden’s performance as president is the biggest hurdle to attracting these voters to his column.

The president’s approval rating among RFK Jr. voters. amounts to only 21%. Nearly two-thirds (60%) disapprove of President Biden’s job, and another 19% are unsure.

The chart below summarizes how RFK Jr. voters see Biden handling key issues. Note that less than 15% of them give the president a favorable rating on all counts.

Furthermore, a majority gives him a D or F on seven issues and places him negatively between 40% and 50% on two issues. Two-thirds (69%) give him a D or F for President Biden’s overall performance.

Most RFK Jr. voters (62%) disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy. Nearly a third (30%) gave him an F grade, and another 32% gave him a D. Only 12% gave him an A or B.

On immigration, two-thirds give the president unsatisfactory marks. 42% give him an F, and another 24% give him a D. Only 10% see him in a favorable light.

In January, the national debt surpassed $34 trillion, making the US the most indebted country in the world. Every hundred days the debt rises by $1 trillion.

The voters of RFK Jr. are concerned about the country’s financial health. Only 14% give Biden good marks for handling spending and taxes. On the other hand, a third (34%) give him an F, and another quarter (26%) give him a D.

Economic anxiety

The voters of RFK Jr. are dissatisfied with Bidenomics and have no confidence in the current economic situation of the country. Forty-two percent think we are in a recession, and 71% think the economy is not improving. Nine in ten (91%) are concerned about Biden inflation, and a similar share (86%) are concerned about an economic slowdown.

We make this clear using the RCM/TIPP Economic Optimism Index, our measure of economic confidence. The index consists of three major components, and the index and its components range from 0 to 100. A reading above 50.0 indicates optimism, and below 50.0 indicates pessimism. 50 is neutral.

The graph below shows that RFK Jr. voters are pessimistic about the economic outlook (28.4), federal policies (36.1) and overall economic optimism (38.9), while being slightly more optimistic about their personal financial prospects (52.1).

Moreover, they experience a lot of financial stress.

The RCM/TIPP Financial-Related Stress Index is the only available measure to track the monthly financial stress experienced by Americans. This index ranges from 0 to 100, with higher numbers indicating greater stress. Values ​​above 50 indicate increased stress levels, while values ​​below 50 indicate decreased stress, with 50 serving as a neutral point.

The voters of RFK Jr. posted a score of 70.2 on the stress index, similar to Trump voters, who posted a score of 72.3. Again this points to their unease about their financial status.

Foreign Affairs

While Biden is not doing well on domestic issues, RFK Jr. voters see also made him falter in foreign affairs. The TIPP Standing In The World Index measures how Americans feel about the country’s standing in the world, a measure of the effectiveness of the president’s foreign policy.

The index ranges from 0 to 100, with scores above 50 considered positive, scores below 50 negative, and 50 representing a neutral stance.

Since August 2021, the overall index has been in the pessimistic zone. In April, RFK Jr. voters (28.5) and Trump (21.2) pessimistic. Biden voters recorded an optimistic result of 58.9.

The voters of RFK Jr. are dissatisfied with the way Biden has handled the war between Russia and Ukraine. Only a handful (11%) give him good marks. A majority (55%) gives him unsatisfactory marks.

They are also dissatisfied with his handling of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.

More than half (56%) give Biden unsatisfactory marks. Nearly a third (30%) give it an F, and another quarter (26%) give it a D. Only 13% give it an A or B.

In short, the message comes across loud and clear. The voters of RFK Jr. are extremely dissatisfied with Biden’s performance. They also have economic problems and are dissatisfied with the direction of the country. It will be difficult for President Biden to convince them to vote for him.