RFK Jr. benefit to Trump, who is polling tied with Harris

After months of waiting to see the outcome of the independent presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the nephew of former president John F. Kennedy, the candidate has suspended his efforts to win the election and supports the Republican nominee.

Kennedy said during his speech last week, announcing the suspension of his campaign, that he was willing to work with Trump due to his seeming to show the most willingness to work on issues like health in this country, as the New York Post reported.

Thanks to that support, Trump appears to have seen a bump in popularity, according to polling that has surveyed Americans following the Democrat National Convention last week.

According to a poll by Echelon Insights, Trump narrowly defeated Harris 49% to 48% in a head-to-head matchup, but the vice president won 47% to 45% when independents were considered.

Other Responses

Kennedy, who suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump last Friday, nabbed 4% support, with Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Chase Oliver each at 1%. An exact number for Independent Cornel West was not provided.

Taking Kennedy out of the race gave Trump a three-point boost, bringing him level with Harris at 48%, while Stein, Oliver, and West each received 1%.

Supporters of Trump had been holding out hope that the so-called "suspending" but "not terminating" of Kennedy's campaign, along with his withdrawal from the ballot in approximately ten states that are considered competitive, would provide him with the much-needed boost.

In many states where he faces less competition, Kennedy will be able to keep his name on the ballot.

From Democrats

In a memo distributed by adviser Ramsey Reid, the Democratic National Committee minimized the event, citing a number of facts that led to the conclusion that his departure affects "nothing."

Echelon Insights found that 52% of respondents saw the "Biden-Harris administration" as generally unsuccessful(15%) or a complete failure (37%), while 45% saw it as mostly successful.

Questioning the "Biden administration" in isolation from Harris elicited slightly more positive responses; 52% of voters rated it as a complete failure (35% of the total) or mostly a failure (17%), while 46% rated it as a complete success (15%) or mostly a success (31% of the total).

When asked about Trump's performance as president, half of those polled were in favor of him in some way, while nearly half were against him.  As for Harris's performance as vice president, half of the respondents were satisfied with his work, while nearly half were dissatisfied.