(NewsNation) — The alignment between former President Donald Trump and lifelong Democrat, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. changed the election landscape, but its impact on the next president is still unknown.
Kennedy surprisingly endorsed the Republican nominee on Aug. 23 in Arizona, before joining the 45th President onstage at a rally later that day.
According to The New York Times, Trump considered Kennedy as his potential running mate as early as April.
Ultimately, they were connected by Tucker Carlson on the night of the attempted assassination of former President Trump and spoke on the phone; some of which was leaked by Kennedy’s son, Bobby Kennedy III.
Even with this new endorsement for former President Trump, polling is still happening today to discern the impact it could have on the race for the White House.
Polling averages showed Kennedy at around 5% nationally before he suspended his campaign. Polling then suggested Kennedy supporters could boost the Republican campaign.
University of Virginia Center for Politics founder Larry Sabato told NewsNation that it is not necessarily straightforward.
“You can say, ‘Well, if RFK Jr. drops out, it’s pretty obvious that 63% of his vote will go to Trump.’ It’s never that simple, that is so superficial,” Sabato said.
“This is very complicated because people can go to another independent, they can stay on the couch and not vote. They can move in both directions. You’ll have some of them go to Harris, probably more of them go to Trump. But I don’t know that it’s going to amount to all that much additional support for Trump.”
According to the latest Decision Desk HQ polling averages from The Hill, both Kamala Harris and Trump have received slight boosts; 1% and 2%, respectively, since Kennedy endorsed the latter.
It is unclear whether these numbers are a consequence of Kennedy suspending his campaign.
Meanwhile, in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Sunday, 79% of surveyed voters said Kennedy’s support makes no difference in their choice come November.
Kennedy may have the largest impact in battleground states; where he has urged his supporters to vote for Trump instead of himself.
His name will remain on the ballot in some states, despite attempts to be removed from swing states.
Wisconsin and Michigan will have Kennedy’s name on the ballot after the Midwestern states declined to scrap his name from the ballot box.
