Nate Silver, creator of polling analyst site FiveThirtyEight, said during a NewsNation interview this week that Democrats shunning Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is “probably” a “mistake.”
“His margin has shrunk” in recent weeks, Silver told host Dan Abrams, adding that some Democrats had migrated to RFK Jr. when the presidential race was still between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. But many of them have now moved back to the left after Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee.
“As best as we can tell — and we crunch all these numbers — RFK now takes more votes from Trump than from Harris. I mean, he’s anti-vax, he’s anti-establishment. I mean, that’s overcoming the Kennedy name and that brand, so Democrats, for example, wanted him off the ballot here in states like New York … that’s probably a mistake. You’d rather have RFK draining anti-establishment votes from Trump.”
WATCH:
Prominent Pollster Says Dems 'Probably' Made 'Mistake' By Going After RFK Jr As He 'Now Takes More Votes From Trump' pic.twitter.com/zWt19LGecQ
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 15, 2024
Several users on the X platform, however, weren’t buying Silver’s assessment.
Earlier this year, experts weighed in on what one described as a liberal “freak out” following Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement of who he picked as his running mate, as Democrats had been amping up their attacks on the now-Independent whose family name was once synonymous with the party.
After RFK Jr. announced he had chosen lawyer and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan to be his VP choice, he was immediately subjected to increased attacks from Democrats, with experts telling Fox News his choice is the party’s “worst nightmare.”
“Only in the new Socialist Democratic Party — they should change their name to reflect who they really are now — would the son of Robert F Kennedy and nephew of Democrat icon JFK be forced from the party that has used their name for decades, all because he had the gall to point out the obvious, Joe Biden is not prepared to lead this country for four more years,” Republican strategist and The Vogel Group principal Matt Keelen told Fox News.
He added: “Anyone with eyes knows that as a fact.”
Kennedy, hailing from one of the most renowned and cherished Democrat families in American history, has become one of the primary targets of criticism from the left since declaring his candidacy for president. Just under two weeks ago, Kennedy revealed that Shanahan would be his running mate, prompting a call hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which many interpreted as a sign that the party was in a state of alarm, Fox added.
Also, lefty “The View” co-host Joy Behar ripped RFK Jr. for pulling votes from Biden, who at the time was still in the race.
