‘He Will Take More from Trump Than Joe Biden’: GOP Pollster Draws Surprising Conclusion About RFK Jr.’s Candidacy

When voters learn more about independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., he’ll take votes away from Donald Trump in the general election, a pollster told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday.

Sarah Longwell of the Republican Accountability Project said she recently administered two focus groups on Kennedy’s candidacy.

“I specifically did former Biden voters, who were leaning toward RFK, and Trump voters who were leaning toward RFK, and it’s crazy because it’s like a Rorschach test,” Longwell said, continuing:

He’s such a wildcard that, the Dems will tell you they love his positions on conservation and the environment. He’s really good on those. And Republicans will tell you they love the way he’s beating up on Democrats as what they perceive to be a Democrat, because his last name is Kennedy, and they love his position on being anti-vax. And so, right now, and because he’s a Kennedy, there’s from the Dems a sense of, he is a Democrat.

So he’s pulling from both right now, but comments like this, ultimately, if I were Donald Trump, I would be very concerned that when voters become more educated on who RFK is, that he will pull much more from the MAGA anti-vax right.

The “comments” Longwell referred to came in the form of a statement Friday where Kennedy tried to explain his stance on the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. In it, he claimed the rioters received “harsh treatment” through the “vigor” of their prosecutions and “long sentences.” He also claimed the rioters had no weapons, but court records show authorities confiscated everything from guns to Tasers.

Longwell added, “Here’s the thing: I think that anybody who splits the broad anti-Trump coalition is dangerous. And, so, if you asked me my preference, it would be that RFK wasn’t in there. But I do think once Dems are done, sort of educating people about this guy, he will take more from Trump than from Biden.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.